Fade In
by hasu86
Summary: ANBU member Haruno Sakura. A temper never to be trifled with, a killer right hook, and suffering no rose colored delusions. At the end of the day she’d go home to a quiet apartment, a neatly made bed, and with no one waiting up for her. Kaka/Saku Complete
1. ANBU

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

**A/N:** This will most likely contain NC-17 content in later chapters. Not sure how later, but you are forewarned so please proceed with caution if you're uncomfortable with it. Wouldn't want to corrupt anyone. Me thinks the smidgen of guilt that follows isn't really conducive to a healthy lifestyle. Oh and this is my first Naruto attempt after being on this Naruto fanfic reading fix for a while. Kinda nervous about it so don't shoot me down too harshly, ne? I like strong female characters, so you can guess that Sakura is going to kick ass, none of that 'I need saving all the damn time' stuff. I'm not promising strait line in-character-ness, but I'll try not to stray to far either. Creative license is a beautiful thing after all…

**Fade In**

_Chapter One – ANBU _

* * *

"Kano, Aki, get those scrolls back to HQ. We didn't spend six months on this mission to have it get shot to hell. If any of these guys get through me and you end up being pursued, do whatever is necessary. Just make sure they don't find out who we are or where we're from."

"But Captain—" Aki interjected.

She shook her head. "Better get those pretty little legs flying boys. I'm counting on you two." Her tone was hard, allowing for no argument or thoughts of insubordination.

Kano nodded, his golden irises visible through the two holes in the mask, telling her to be safe…to come back alive.

"What the hell are you guys waiting for?! A swift kick to the ass?" Their ANBU squad captain growled.

"Don't die Captain." Aki said before hesitantly turning his back and following his teammate through the trees.

"_Don't you two go dying either, or so help me I'll haunt you both even in the afterlife…"_

Her threat was carried on the rain swept breeze, floating to her team of two years. She knew they wouldn't fail her…knew that they wouldn't die because truth be told, having your pink haired captain kick your ass even in death wouldn't be a pleasant experience.

She sensed the numerous approaching shinobi from behind. Any second now they'd be upon her and she'd be more than ready to make sure not one made it past her. Tossing a last glance over her shoulder, Kano and Aki already a good distance away, she turned around and tightened her gloves.

Haruno Sakura let a small rush of chakra flow to her hands as she soundlessly landed on the moss covered ground. Without a moments delay, she brought them down and watched as the ground before her tore open in a destructive zigzag, uprooting trees and plants, sending bits and pieces of the forest floor into the air around her.

In their attempt to dodge the powerful force, two of the eight Sound nin jumped from a falling tree only to be struck down by rapidly rotating shuriken to the throat.

'Two down, six more to go…' 

Sakura quickly dodged a barrage of kunai, her body springing into action the next to parry her opponent's kicks and punches. But he was too slow. She grabbed his leg mid kick and swung him around to block another onslaught of shuriken, hearing the many thuds of metal meeting flesh. She didn't spare his shocked and pained face a glance before dropping his dead body and agilely sidestepping another Sound shinobi's ninjutsu. The sharp blades of wind swept past her, but she didn't anticipate them coming back around.

"Stupid bitch. Thought you could—" His black eyes widened when the ANBU shinobi 'poofed' upon being pelted by his wind knives. He never finished his sentence as Sakura's ninjaken pierced his heart with deadly accuracy.

However, she realized a bit belatedly the explosive tag attached to the trunk of the tree and as it exploded, she felt the wind knocked out of her and the intense heat as the fire licked at her skin and damn, was that shrapnel?

"Shit." Sakura tried to land as gracefully as she could, feeling the small pieces of metal tear into her skin.

"Did you think you could handle all of us by yourself ANBU?" A taunting voice echoed throughout their battlefield.

She paid it no attention, instead focusing on where it was coming from and the faint traces of chakra. _'Got'cha.' _The idiot was closer than she thought and that didn't bode well for him at all. Using the body flicker technique, she was in front of his surprised form in seconds, kunai already in hand and made a clean cut across his jugular.

Sakura barely had time to dodge a flying arrow and winced behind her mask when it grazed her shoulder. Using her monstrous strength, she pulled a tree out of the ground and swung to her left, knocking down several other trees and smirking when the Sound archer was forced to reveal himself and hold back on his attacks. She could assume well enough that he probably wasn't good at close range combat. Well, too bad for him because his arrows were about to become quite useless.

A shriek pierced the air as Sakura's honed chakra blade ruptured a vital organ and ended the shinobi's life.

"It would seem that we underestimated you ANBU."

Sakura didn't respond. Her wounds were bleeding but she didn't bother to heal them, knowing that she'd need all the chakra she could afford for the next round of beatings to come. Her shoulder throbbed abnormally and it dimly registered to the pink haired kunoichi that the arrow tip was probably poisoned. Judging by the slow reaction, it was a weak poison by her standards, which left her with plenty of time to dispose of the remaining Sound ninjas surrounding her.

"But we'll rid you of this world soon enough and then once we find those two other ANBU, we'll be sure to send them your way after torturing and—"

Razor sharp senbon abruptly ended his little speech, embedding themselves precisely in a neat row across his neck, effectively causing him to claw at his throat while drowning in his own blood.

Sakura never took it too happily when anyone threatened the lives of her team. It'd be a cold day in hell before she'd let anyone get away with that. And it would seem luck was on her side today. These ninja were sorely lacking in the training department and she could tell that most of them had no real experience to boast of, at least not with the way she had killed most of them quite easily.

She readied her stance and glanced warily at the remaining shinobi, having a feeling that these were no doubt the strongest of the group that had managed to trace their tracks from the Land of Sound. Already a bit worn out from their earlier escape and endless drifting through the forests, Sakura could only rely on her determination to see this mission through and on Kano and Aki arriving safely back at Konohagakure.

* * *

"She'll come back alive…the captain isn't foolish enough to die…she better not…damn, I should've knocked her out and carried her over my damn shoulder!" Aki rambled, running a callous hand through his sienna colored hair. He kept glancing back, hoping that their pink haired captain would be darting her way from branch to branch, catching up to them.

"I doubt you could've rendered her unconscious." Kano supplied.

Aki laughed, but it was strained and laced with worry. "I probably would've been the one knocked out."

"Hn."

"Damn it Kano, why are you always so fucking calm?" Aki ducked to avoid a low hanging branch, his dark blue-violet eyes darting to his quiet teammate. But he knew that the silent man was far from calm by the slight flexing of his jaw muscles and the clenching of his fists. Kano was just as worried for their captain as he was, the tall and black haired shinobi just didn't show it as readily as he did.

"She will be alright Aki. She always manages to come back."

"Right. She's too scary strong to die anyway."

* * *

Every muscle and fiber of her beaten, bloody and bruised body screamed in retaliation every time she moved, every time she managed to not fall off a branch and land face first onto the rain soaked forest floor. It had only began raining a few minutes ago, making the world around her even more blurry.

But damn if she didn't make it back home at least half alive. She didn't kill eight Sound shinobi to just die sitting by a tree alone. And Kami knew what a pain in the ass the last one was. It took her last bit of chakra, extreme focus, and the memory of Neji's precise training to hit the key chakra points in the Sound nin's body, effectively stemming off the flow and leaving him vulnerable to meet the sharp end of her ninjaken.

Sakura heaved a shaky breath, her body shuddering and feeling more sluggish than usual. The poison didn't help either nor did her current non-existent chakra, which had she still had some left, she could flush out the foreign substance. But she had to push on regardless. Her team was most likely close to Konoha by now, intent on delivering the scrolls to the Hokage. And she hadn't seen her home for so long now that with every second she wasted, it increased the ache in her heart.

'My nice fluffy pillows…warm bed…come on Sakura, you're almost home…' 

She brushed off another wave of vertigo as she headed back towards Konoha, overexerting her muscles and energy, but not caring in the least. Tsunade could have her hide later on, assuming she was still alive, and lecture her on proper medic nin etiquette then. But until she made it past the gates, she didn't give a flying rat's ass about what anyone had to say.

* * *

It was starting to become a torrential downpour. Two ANBU members had flown past earlier, nothing but blurs through the rain and Izumo wondered what was up. He glanced at Kotetsu who lounged in the chair beside him, twirling a kunai with his fingers.

"Think anyone interesting is going to enter the village?"

"Besides those two ANBU?" Kotetsu looked up and away from the rain. "Probably not."

…

An hour later, they were still sitting there, looking through paperwork the Hokage had sent down for them to organize.

"Izumo, I think—"

His attention was suddenly ripped away from his fellow shinobi when a masked body seemed to spiral down from the sky and land in a tangle of limbs and ANBU gear in front of them. A flash of familiar pink hair had them scrambling over to the fallen body.

"Haruno Sakura…" Kotetsu murmured, worry lines etched across his features.

Izumo grimaced when he saw the many puncture wounds and bruises on her battered body. Her ANBU uniform was torn and tattered, arm guards dented, no doubt from blocking weapons and she was both rain and blood soaked. He quickly searched for a pulse, blinking rapidly to keep the rain out of his eyes. He caught it…faint…and dying the longer they stood out in the downpour with her unconscious body.

"Shit. We have to get her to the hospital right away. I think she's been poisoned too." Kotetsu pointed to the irregular graze on her shoulder, it was a deep purple in color, vein like lines extending outward from the wound.

Izumo grunted. "Go Kotetsu, I'll keep watch on the gates."

He nodded and lifting the ANBU captain, secured her in his arms before making a mad dash towards the hospital.

**…_to be continued…_**


	2. Wake

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Fade In**

_Chapter Two – Wake _

* * *

It was five years ago when Sasuke Uchiha stopped being an avenger, when he returned to Konohagakure with his old teammates after the defeat of Orochimaru and Akatsuki. Though the reacceptance of the Uchiha had been slow, forgiveness wasn't foreign to those who resided in the Hidden Leaf village.

However, it wasn't long after their return that Sasuke and Naruto yearned to experience the life of roaming shinobi without the label of missing nin etched across their foreheads. Always the thought of becoming stronger occupying their minds, they had both agreed to leave Konoha together after days of persuading the Hokage.

And unknowingly in doing so, they had left behind the one person that had remained by their side since the beginning, the one person who hadn't given up on either of them when all seemed lost…the one person they had drawn strength from, had let heal their wounds when they practically lay dying on the scarred battlefield.

The day Haruno Sakura woke up to find a note tacked to her apartment door detailing her former teammates' decision was the day the world heard her heart break. No goodbye. No "Would you like to come with us Sakura-chan?"

But of course, she was always the weakest one. The one who always needed to be saved instead of doing the saving, the one cheering from the sidelines while they fought for their lives and all she could do was shout their names in hope and concern.

She had made a large crack in her wall that day and very nearly brought down the whole apartment building if it wasn't for a certain Copy Ninja who showed up at her window at just the right time.

"_Is it wrong of me to be angry?" _

"_Maybe bringing down the whole building with your anger is a bit extreme, but no, you have every right to be." _

_She laughed bitterly, but even that sounded hollow to her ears. "You're wrong. I should be happy for them. I should be happy that they're chasing their dreams of becoming stronger and better." Sakura slid to the floor, burying her head in her arms and bended knees, trying to keep the hot tears at bay. _

"_Things haven't been the same in a long time. I just tried to ignore it. I was stupid for thinking we'd always be together Kakashi-sensei." _

"_Sakura, they didn't leave you intentionally or because you think you're too weak for them, which you're not. You scare them with your monstrous strength most of the time anyway to have them think otherwise." _

_A hoarse chuckle met his ears. _

"_I know…but it still hurts." _

"_You'll learn to deal with it Sakura. You always find a way." _

When Sakura was twenty years old, she became a member of ANBU after completing her training under Tsunade. Having survived the rigorous physical and psychological tests, she emerged a little worse for wear (okay, so maybe she was more like half dead), but sitting there, getting the swirl like tattoo on her upper arm and meeting her first ANBU team had been such a critical stepping stone for her.

No longer was she pining over someone who would never be hers, or trailing after two of the strongest shinobi in her generation, or suffering her naïve delusions about finding the perfect love, one that would sweep her off her feet and make her heart hammer in her chest. All this had been thrown out the window with her first assassination, her first sexual encounter, and the first time she took her last breaths, on the cusp of death after a mission had gone awry and left her as the only survivor of her squad. The only reason she was alive was because of the Hokage's furious efforts to save the life of her beloved apprentice.

ANBU had been the first of many experiences for Sakura. It was how she dealt with everything from the past. The dissolution of Team Seven, no goodbyes or any form of contact, a sensei who was no longer a sensei, but rather a fellow ninja whom she would occasionally see in ANBU headquarters or sitting on a tree limb with his infamous _Icha Icha_ books in hand.

They had even gone on a few missions together in her three years with ANBU. It just served to solidify the fact that once you became part of this elite organization, you could never really escape it. The tattoo branded you as ANBU for as long as you still breathed. Kakashi could certainly attest to that.

Though their interaction was few and far between and the relationship of student to teacher was practically no longer existent, spending time together on those missions had left a rather nostalgic taste on her tongue. At times Sakura had found herself observing her once and former sensei. The naturally silver gray hair, the black mask that covered most of his face, the lazy droop of his eye and accompanying barely there crinkles that appeared whenever he smiled or greeted someone. She had noted, with a small bundle of jealousy, that Hatake Kakashi was ageless. He really could remain thirty for as long as he liked.

But unlike him, Sakura could no longer remain the naïve, bubbly, and whiny girl from her teens. Circumstances and her own personal choices didn't allow her to do so. True, she still had a temper never to be trifled with and a killer right hook, but at the end of the day, she was still Haruno Sakura, just older and more experienced and suffering no rose colored delusions. She'd go home to a quiet apartment, an empty fridge, a neatly made bed, and with no one waiting up for her.

* * *

The sound of hushed voices stirred her from her sleep. Blinking bleary green eyes, she tried to focus her vision. When the familiar black spiky hair and honey colored eyes of Kano loomed above her, a small thankful smile graced her peachy lips. He was instantly shoved aside by the eager and lanky Aki, blue violets brimming over with relief and a lopsided grin adorning his boyishly handsome features. Their ANBU masks were swiped to the side of their faces as they stared down at her.

She felt stiff and sore all over but at least she was alive…right? This wasn't some weird stage in the afterlife where they had hospital beds exactly like the ones in Konoha and holy crap, she didn't really remember making it to the gates. All she remembered was falling hard and blacking out.

"Please tell me I'm still alive?" Her throat was dry, voice coming out croaky and hoarse.

"Of course you are! Though you sure as hell didn't look it when Kotetsu carried you in. You scared us to death Sakura!" Aki tried to keep the emotions under control but the thought of almost losing her made his gut clench.

The pink haired kunoichi sighed in relief. "Sorry boys, but I did have it all under control."

Kano snorted. "If you call being hauled in as a bloody and bruised mess with ribs broken and chakra depleted under control, then I beg to differ."

Sakura rolled her eyes, trying to ignore that small trace of guilt nibbling away at her. "It was the only way to make sure the mission would be completed. I'd rather it be me than either or both of you."

"Bullshit Captain, you know the three of us could've taken care of all of them." Aki said as he slumped into the chair by the bedside, ANBU uniform wrinkled and reddish brown hair in disarray.

"I couldn't risk it."

Kano took his squad leader's hand and sighed tiredly. "I know we're ANBU but we're also a team Sakura. Losing you would have been detrimental to Aki's health…and perhaps mine. Next time you want to take on eight Sound shinobi, we won't be so obedient."

"I think Aki's starting to rub off on you Kano." She laughed softly as she squeezed his hand, knowing that it wasn't often that her quiet but caring teammate spoke what he felt. "I'm sorry I worried you two so enough of the guilt trip already."

"You're forgiven Sakura. You know I can't stay mad at a beautiful woman for long, especially when I've seen her naked—ooommph!" Unfortunately, the twenty-two year old ANBU shinobi wasn't fast enough to dodge a flying pillow.

Ignoring his comment, Sakura looked herself over. Minus a few bandages here and there, she seemed in pretty good condition. "How long have I been out?"

"Two days." Kano replied, taking the seat beside his teammate. He ran a hand over his face, soothing away the exhaustion but not the dark bags under his eyes or the jagged scar running the length of his right temple to just below his cheekbone.

But Sakura didn't miss their haggard and spent appearances. She saw their weary postures and crumpled clothing and noticed how Aki had suddenly grown silent, cuddled up to the pillow and wait, was that drool?

"Go home and get some rest you two. Sleep deprivation isn't good for your health." She urged them with a shoo of her hands.

"You'll be fine?" Kano raised a dark brow.

Sakura nodded, giving him a beaming smile.

He grunted and whacked Aki across the head. "Home and then sleep. Sakura's orders."

"Right!" The violet-eyed ninja shot up and cracked a grin, acting as if he just hadn't fallen asleep and handed the white pillow to their squad leader. "If you need anything, just shout."

"What am I? Two?"

"Hardly. You're twenty three and an ANBU kunoichi, but even you need to be taken care of sometimes. It's nice isn't it?"

She was suddenly at a lost for words, not sure how to respond to his seemingly innocent remark. So instead, Sakura rolled her green eyes only to elicit a short laugh from him. It was soon cut off however, when Kano wrapped a strong arm around his teammate's neck and gradually cut off his air supply. "We'll be going now Sakura. Take care of yourself in the meantime."

"Will do. Try not to choke Aki to death please."

The tall and ruggedly handsome shinobi reluctantly nodded as he dragged his teammate out the door and shut it gently behind them.

She snuggled deeper into the pillows. Though it wasn't her own bed, it sure as hell beat sleeping on the rock hard ground with pebbles digging into your back or on a large enough tree limb. But somehow, the room had gotten a little bit colder after her team's departure. Listening to the silence and the occasional bird chirps, she let her mind wander.

It felt nice to be back in Konoha. Six months away on a mission collecting information and simultaneous assassinations wasn't her idea of a vacation. It had left herself and her team drained and silently aching for a return home sooner.

The Sound tracking unit had been a slight surprise, but not unexpected. She supposed having a few of their fellow ninja mysteriously disappear while on duty would alert them to unwanted guests on their premises. Perhaps if the ninja had been more trained and not just able to jump from branch to branch they would have been more formidable foes, but as luck would have it, they were mostly inexperienced ninja that she was able to dispose of rather easily.

A sudden tap on the crystal clear window broke through her contemplation and her eyes instantly recognized the person on the other side. She motioned for him to come in, a small smile playing on her lips.

"You know, why can't you be like normal people and use a door?"

"Ah, well, whoever said I was normal?"

"Oh yeah, right. You're the infamous Copy Ninja in every bingo book out there. Be afraid. Be very afraid." Sakura rolled her eyes.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head, clearly not finding the humor in her words and decided to make himself comfortable in the wonderful cushioned chairs the hospital provided, pulling out the latest volume of _Icha Icha_.

"And to what do I owe this rare honor? If I remember correctly, you were never a big fan of hospitals. Actually come to think of it, you avoided them like the plague."

"You know, I heard from two certain patrol ninja manning the entrance and exit of this fair village that an ANBU with pink hair fell from the sky, barely alive and breathing. I guess curiosity is a powerful thing."

"Well, curiosity killed the cat."

"But I'm not a cat my dearest. I'm a highly trained shinobi."

"And I can handle a few shinobi on my own." Sakura reminded, a bit haughtily.

"A few? I heard there was at least half a dozen."

"Sorry, I lost count while I was pounding their faces in. And hey, how do you know all this? ANBU missions are strictly classified."

Kakashi shrugged as he lowered the book and let his eye glance over her. With only a bandaged shoulder, it would seem like she hadn't suffered much injury, but he was well aware that the rest had been healed by the medics. Izumo's description hadn't been pretty when he had asked about the extent of her injuries earlier. His gaze then strayed to the bubble gum pink hair, noticing the side sweep of her bangs and how the locks were messily french braided, wayward strands falling here and there.

"What?"

He reeled in his wandering eye and looked directly into her emerald ones. "You were foolish."

She snorted in indignation. The last thing she needed to hear was a lecture from her _former_ sensei. "I can't believe you just said that."

"You should've consid—"

"You have no right to criticize my actions. I know you would've done the same thing had you been in my position. The safety of my team and the mission comes first, even if it costs me my life. I'm ANBU Kakashi, you should know better than I do that every mission I take is one that I may not survive, but I sure as hell am not going to risk the lives of my team if I can help it." Sakura cut him off, her tone sharp and a little colder than he remembered.

"You almost died Sakura. Again might I add? I'm beginning to think you're the cat here."

The kunoichi released a dry laugh. "I'll try to make the last four or five of my lives count then."

"Death isn't something to go looking for."

"You're one to talk Kakashi."

He closed his book and stuffed it in his back pouch. "Well, I see you're doing fine, but I'll let you get some more rest."

She saw his fake smile outlined on his mask and the slight tension in his shoulders and suddenly, she felt like a royal bitch. She knew he was just concerned for her, in his own Kakashi-ish way, which basically consisted of 'You were wrong and I am right, end of discussion'. Kami, what was up with the guilt trips today?! It wasn't like she had never had a near death experience before!

So Sakura did the only thing that came to mind. She grabbed his hand and forced him to look at her. "Look, so maybe I might've been a little, the tiniest bit irrational in my decision, but I'm not going to tell you that I was wrong because I wasn't. You wouldn't have let your team get harmed if you could help it. I should know because I was a part of it once."

"Sakura…"

She shook her head, giving his calloused hand a firm squeeze. "Thank you for worrying about me Kakashi. It lets me know that you're not all _Icha Icha_, lazy and aloof." And then she let go of his hand.

He stared at her for a moment then nodded. "Just…be careful next time. I'd hate to have another reason to visit the memorial." Before she could get another word in, Kakashi had 'poofed' as was customary of him, leaving her alone to deal with the thoughts his presence and words always seemed to dredge up.

Sakura turned on her side, bringing the thin white blanket up and over her shoulders. Stifling a yawn, Sakura grasped the old and unwanted memories encroaching on wakeful territory and placed them inside the dark chest hidden away within her heart. Only when she dreamed would it fully open. And then and only then would she embrace them, bask in the times when Team Kakashi was still a team and everything was happy and hopeful, when life was much simpler and she didn't have so much blood and pain on her hands.

…_to be continued…_

**A/N:** I'd just like to give a great big THANK YOU for all the wonderful reviews and positive feedback! I'm glad you guys are enjoying this!

_-hasu86 _


	3. Blossom

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Fade In**

_Chapter Three – Blossom_

* * *

Sakura fidgeted. Standing in front of a more than furious Hokage was never a good thing.

Drumming her fingers along the wooden desk, Tsunade stared down her former apprentice and tried very hard not to lash out at the pink haired ANBU kunoichi. The busty blonde downed another cup of her precious rice wine, letting the alcohol glide down her throat like water.

"Your teammates have already reported to me." She began.

Sakura could see the muscles in her jaw twitch, followed by her eyebrow and the very noticeable vein threatening to pop.

"Hokage-sama—"

And that's when Tsunade snapped. "What the hell were you thinking!?" Her powerful hand came down and splintered part of her desk, bits and pieces of wood fluttering to the floor of her office. "You could've died Sakura! Again!"

"I—"

"Don't interrupt me! Do you know how many times I've had to save your ass? You, coming in barely breathing and poisoned, bloody and ripped more times than I can count! What the hell were you thinking taking on eight Sound shinobi?"

"They were—"

"Inexperienced and idiot ninja. I know that already from reading your report. What if they hadn't been? I…Konoha can't afford to lose you Sakura. You're one of the top medic nin here and a formidable ANBU kunoichi."

Green eyes fell to the floor as she rolled her hands into fists. Why couldn't they understand? Being ANBU, being a ninja meant putting duty before herself. It was putting the well being of Konoha before her own, knowing that at any moment in time she could die or be captured by the enemy. She was perfectly aware of that and had even come to accept it.

"Sakura…"

"Hokage-sama, I understand your concern and I appreciate you saving my ass all those times," A smug smirk crossed the older woman's lips and Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "But I've taken care of myself for a long time now. I've kept my team alive and I'll continue to do so, and yes, even at the expense of my own life. I told Kakashi the same thing you know. I've lost too many people to start losing more now."

Tsunade folded her arms across her ample cleavage, scrutinizing the younger woman and finally relenting. "Don't think you can take on the world all by yourself Sakura. I know you've been alone for a while now, but sometimes it's okay to let others in."

Sakura lifted her gaze and let it fall on her mentor of so many years. She saw the hidden concern in the Godaime and sighed. "I'm sorry Hokage-sama. It's just that…"

"You know Sakura, sometimes I miss you calling me shishou, and the days when you were an annoying little pain. Well, you still are." A reminiscent smile lifted her red lips before she leveled a woman-to-woman look at her former apprentice. "I know you're a perfectly capable and intelligent ANBU operative, but I'd like to hope that being one hasn't made your heart as cold as ice and careless with your life. Being a ninja isn't all just about missions and covering your tracks. Happiness and maybe even love aren't as farfetched as you might think."

How was it that Tsunade always knew what was going on in her head and in her heart? How was she able to voice all that which Sakura herself was too stubborn to realize and admit? A needle thin spear struck her heart and her gut clenched after hearing the Hokage's words. It was too close to the truth and it suddenly made her a little uncomfortable.

Dispelling those thoughts far away from her mind, Sakura watched her mentor consume another cup of sake and inwardly shook her head. Apparently Shizune couldn't hide all the bottles from her. Despite drowning herself in sake and shirking her paperwork duties whenever possible, Sakura knew Tsunade wasn't all just monstrous strength, scary temper, and rice wine. She had found her happiness in protecting Konoha and those she held dear.

And love? During the years of being under her tutelage, Sakura wasn't just bringing dead fish back to life and filing. Always the keen observer, she realized that Tsunade and a certain Ero-sennin shared something more than just being old teammates. The small blushes covered up by indignant shouts and pretend irritation. Random nosebleeds in her office when just a little bit more boob happened to 'accidentally' slip out of a certain short green yukata top. Oh yes, Sakura would've had to been blind to miss that.

An unbidden smile touched her lips, her current thoughts of the two Sannin ebbing away the tide of her own discomfort with emotions she had kept under lock and key. She watched as a blonde brow rose inquiringly. "Just thinking Hokage-sama."

Tsunade shot her an incredulous look. "Well, you can think while hauling your ANBU ass out that door."

The pink haired ninja nodded and turning around, made to exit the office.

"Take a couple days off and relax Sakura. It'll be good for you."

She cast a knowing smile and a quick nod over her shoulder as she disappeared behind the door.

**…**

Sakura walked through the crowded streets of Konoha, inhaling the familiar scent of the village and the calm that flowed through her. Three days in the hospital and she was feeling just as good as new. Well, minus the stiff shoulder, but that would go away eventually.

She fixed her shoulder bag, where inside sat her new ANBU gear that Aki had brought over earlier. Apparently Mr. Dumplings (his name was really Mr. Unagi, the maker of the ANBU uniforms and thereby, issuer, but she had taken to calling him that because every time she saw him, he was always eating dumplings) was going to start charging her. Really, he'd make a fortune off of her considering how many she went through. Sakura could bet that he'd start crying if he saw his beloved clothing in the torn and tattered deaths they suffered after a particularly bad mission.

She tucked a wayward lock of rose behind an ear, the braid that reached the middle of her back messy and loose. Side swept bangs, baggy lounge pants and an oversized sweater completed her rather lackluster appearance. The clothing compliments of Aki's own wardrobe since they didn't have time to get into her apartment. She was comfortable though and that's all that mattered to her at the moment.

A chilly breeze passed by, uplifting more strands of hair. It was autumn, soon to be winter in Fire Country, where the nights would be longer and the days much shorter. Her feet walked listlessly through the crowds, leading her to the empty and no doubt dusty apartment she resided in. Her roseate hair stuck out like a sore thumb, occasionally drawing a curious gaze or capturing someone's wondering attention.

She was beautiful in her own right. A unique beauty. A not your every day beauty. She was a jaded kind of beauty that was rough around the edges and adorned with plenty of scars. But she was smooth and stunning within, sensual and deep and enticing.

A couple of kids, no older than seven or eight she guessed, ran past her, laughing and shouting without a care in the world, a countenance that only kids their age possessed and wielded with a fierce passion. 'The springtime of youth!' in the words of one green spandex suit wearing jounin and his devoted former student that was a younger spitting image. She absently wondered what Lee was up to, probably on a mission no doubt with his own ANBU team.

Long toned legs led her up the flight of stairs of her apartment building on the east side of the village, about a ten minute walk from the hospital. Her strides soon became quicker, feet moving swifter and soundlessly until the key was in the lock. Turn. And she pushed open the door to reveal her lone apartment just as she had left it. Simple and clean.

_And cold…_

* * *

Hatake Kakashi sat at the cherry wood bar. A medium container of warm sake with a small glass beside it was half way filled, sitting on the counter in front of him as he buried his head in the latest volume of _Icha Icha. _

However, he found himself not really reading the words (much to his chagrin) but drifting instead to a one Haruno Sakura, pink haired ANBU kunoichi who liked to play with death and if she wasn't careful would be seeing death before it was ready to see her.

Kakashi lowered his book, snapping it shut and quickly gulped down the sake in the small cup. Letting loose a pent up breath, he propped up an elbow and leaned on his palm.

Konoha's little Sakura-chan had become Haruno Sakura, ANBU squad leader with a penchant for ending up half alive in the hospital after a mission.

He downed another small cup of the warm sake.

As her former sensei, he had every right to be angry with her lack of care for her well being. As a former sensei he had every right to point out her foolishness. As a former sensei he had every right to throttle that stubborn neck of hers and tell her how worried he had been behind the mask, behind the hard planes of his face and the stiff posture.

But that was the thing. _Former_.

His cherry blossom was no longer a stray petal dancing on the winds. She was in full bloom. A woman comfortable in her own skin now and no longer the awkward and lost teen with complexes too many to name.

And somewhere along the way, she had left him behind.

Or maybe he had left her behind.

Another small cup of sake gone.

What were they? Sakura and Kakashi. Kakashi and Sakura. Former sensei and student. Friends. Two people looking for something…running away from the demons of the past in the form of mission after mission, kunai after kunai, ninja after ninja, death after death.

Another small cup. Another medium container of warm sake please.

Sakura. His cherry blossom with the bright green eyes and beautiful smile and the healing touch and the deadly touch all in one.

When had she stopped calling him Kakashi-sensei? When had it turned to just simply Kakashi? Whispered like a soft caress that made him feel funny things. Dangerous things.

And anoth—

"You shouldn't drink alone Kakashi."

His eye fell on the feminine hand resting on his forearm, stopping him from taking another small cup of the rice wine.

"Mind if I join?"

"Who am I to stop you?"

"You couldn't even if you wanted to. I know you find my presence absolutely delightful."

"Right. As much as your temper."

Sakura narrowed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. Childish yes, but it made her feel better all the same. She motioned for the bartender to send over another container of warm sake. It arrived moments later and she lazily filled the small ceramic cup.

"So, what's your reason?"

"Reason?" Kakashi threw a side long glance, watching her take a sip, swish, and sip again.

"Mmhmm. Why, Kakashi, are you here sitting at a bar drinking all by your lonesome? And without an _Icha Icha_volume no less!"

"Ah." He stared at the clear alcoholic liquid sitting innocently in the cup. "Just…thinking Sakura."

She finished the contents in the glass and poured another. "About what?"

_You. _"About the report I have to write up for the Hokage."

Sakura gave him odd look. "Since when do you think about your reports?"

"Since now."

She snorted and shook her head. Pouring another cup, she tossed that back just as quick, ignoring the bitter burn as it swept down her throat and into her stomach.

"And what's your reason Sakura?"

A hesitant pause filled the space between them as she fiddled with the rim of the cup.

"You know what I was thinking when I was fighting those Sound shinobi? I was thinking about blood, about dying, about which jutsu to use to kill them…about the way my ninjaken would feel sliding through their chests. But I was also thinking that if I didn't kill them, they'd go after those I care about, after Aki and Kano, the village. That they'd hurt and kill those I care about…take them away from me…and that was enough justification for doing what I did."

Sakura absently took another sip, eyes far away and unseeing. "And I didn't care if I died saving them. That was fine with me. I'd make the ultimate sacrifice with my life and hopefully end up some place half way decent. But when I think about it now, all I wanted as I traveled back here was my nice warm bed and my fluffy pillows. The comfort of my own home."

Kakashi tossed back another small cup, silent and steady as the pink haired kunoichi dropped her barriers and let him in. It had been a very long time.

"But you know," She turned her soulful eyes on him and he could see the sorrow and pain, the determination and the loneliness, the acceptance of everything that had happened to her, of all the choices she had made. He saw all that made and was Sakura swirling in those suddenly revealing eyes.

And then it was gone.

She looked away, gulping another cupful of the sake. "My bed wasn't warm. My pillows were flat and dusty. And my home didn't feel like a home." She laughed a bittersweet laugh. "I'd probably feel more comfortable on the forest floor or on a tree limb."

Sakura could start to feel the effects of the alcohol in her system. It was a warm fuzzy feeling she hadn't felt in a long time. Leaning forward, she rested her chin on the palm of her hand, a lopsided grin playing on her lips, but not quite reaching her eyes.

"I just spilled my guts out to you Kakashi. I don't remember the last time I ever did that."

She turned to look at him, chin still resting against her palm and head tilted.

"You're the one constant in my life."

"And you're the one change in mine."

It was a murmured confession in between the warm sake and the emerald gazes…among the slightly fuzzy thoughts and the demons of the past that were never too far behind.

…_to be continued…_

**A/N: I wrote this chapter over a few times, until I was finally satisfied with this one. I tried to convey certain emotions through it and hopefully I succeeded somewhat and hopefully it gives you a little more depth into their characters. But, have no fear, things will start to pick up, I just wanted to set some foundations without rushing too much. Thank you to all those who took the time to leave me such sweet reviews! **

_-hasu86_


	4. Demons

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

**I suppose for the sake of preventing any scarring of the innocent, a warning in advance. This chapter has very dark themes. The rating's no joke. If you're uncomfortable with it, please don't read. Though, this chapter is quite imperative to the whole plot. Hmmm… ::scratches back of head:: If you can't stomach it, umm, I guess you can send me a message or something and I'll gladly give you a brief PG rated summary of it. **

* * *

**Fade In**

_Chapter Four – Demons_

* * *

_**Two and a half years ago…**_

Blood. There was so much blood.

The dark red liquid flowed from fresh wounds in thin rivulets, congealed in old lacerations across wet and dirty skin, and spotted the cold hard concrete floor in swirling and sickening designs. Harsh barren gray slab, one small barred window, and the stench of decay, of pain, of deep rooted fear permeated from the stone walls of their prison and slowly ate at their sanity.

It was supposed to be a get in and get out mission in Lightning Country. Her squad captain Michi Arai, a curvy and fierce woman who was nothing but lean muscle and deadly accuracy with a pixie hair cut and chocolate eyes was going to deliver the killing blow to a local warlord who decided he wanted more power and invading Kumogakure seemed the ideal plan to get that power.

Sakura and her other teammate, Hideki Maeda, a well built shinobi with short black hair and bright hazel eyes who was wise beyond his years but hid it behind joviality and easy smiles, were to secure the perimeters and open up a clear entrance and exit for them.

Everything had been normal. The guards were where they were supposed to be after days of scouting and mapping out the compound. Every three hours there was a rotation and that night during the guard change was when Michi had decided was the best time to make their move.

But as soon as the first concealed paper explosive went off, all hell broke loose and the warlord's men came rushing in from all sides. It had been a setup from the beginning. Apparently the contents of the written scroll asking for help had been leaked and all this time, the warlord had been waiting patiently for any sign of enemy infiltration. They had blindly walked into a trap and there was nothing they could've done about it.

Three ANBU against at least a hundred of his men.

They had gotten through half before being forced to the dirt by arrows and bloody wounds.

**…**

Sakura was finding it difficult to breathe. Her eyes were fuzzy and the throbbing pain in her head was making her nauseous. They had been in their prison for two days now and throughout its entirety, they had been cut, beat, humiliated, and played with. Their chakra had been suppressed by a slightly opaque liquid that was forced down their throats, rendering them defenseless and weak, but not incoherent enough to spill their secrets.

"_Who are you?"_

"_ANBU shitface." _

"_Come now Pink, that's not what I meant." _

"_Go to hell."_

She smiled at the memory cause she had spat blood in her tormentor's cruelly handsome face. Granted, it had earned her a slap in the face, but the brief anger in his black eyes had been worth it.

Sakura turned her head to look at her teammates. They were in worse shape than she was, but Sakura could hazard a guess and say mentally, they were probably doing better than she, if only by a little. She could feel her mental defenses weakening and fear take its place, which was the last thing she needed.

She tried to focus her eyes and somewhat succeeded as her teammates became less blurry and she was able to assess the damage done to them.

A long jagged cut trailed the side of Hideki's rugged face. His hair was matted with sweat and blood and breathing seemed like an effort to him. Cuts and bruises adorned every part of his almost naked body. Her squad captain, uniform in tatters and spread eagle was in the same shape as both of them, but always…always she had her eyes and ears alert.

Six months being on a team with her were both the toughest and rewarding six months of her life. She had learned much from her red haired captain in the ways of being a female ANBU shinobi and she wouldn't have traded it for the world. There was too much respect and admiration for the older kunoichi for her to think ill of all the grueling training sessions and the no-nonsense-I'll-kick-your-ass-if-you-don't-do-as-you're-told attitude. Michi was brazen and truthful, but she was also an excellent ninja.

They hadn't spoken a word to each other since they'd been captured, instead, sending messages through looks and head movement.

_Stay silent. Don't break. Be strong. _

Their tormentor, who had happily told them to refer to him as Akai, swiftly entered the stone prison and smiled viciously. His black eyes gleamed with malicious intent as he stared directly at Sakura, the look hungry and dark.

He was tall, muscularly lean, and despite his choice in profession, handsome. It was a cruel handsome though, complete with cold angular lines and sharp malevolent black eyes. He wore his long black hair in a tight braid and exuded evilness in its prime.

When they had brought in this particular little morsel, he had instantly been taken with her. Such exotic features behind the mask for an ANBU kunoichi and he had always loved the exotic. Nights would find him panting and hard, dreaming of his pink haired victim and Akai had decided that he would save her for last and perhaps even make her his pet.

Akai stalked towards Sakura and upon reaching her, ran a long thin finger down her face, staring at her with obsession and lust.

"I've got a treat for you today Pink. I think you'll enjoy it. But I would advise you to not look away…for your teammates' sakes." His thumb traced her dry and cracked lips, a sick fascination in those dark eyes before he pulled away with a sinister smile.

He turned around and pulled a small vial of clear liquid from his pocket and walked up to Hideki.

"Open wide." Akai seized his lower face and forced his mouth open, pouring it all in and pinching his nose so Hideki had no choice but to swallow for some small purchase of air.

The effects were almost instantaneous. Sakura watched as her teammate arched against his bonds and his manhood swell. _'No, no, no.' _A deep dread filled her and she almost cried out, almost blurted out who they were and where they were from because she didn't want to watch this happen. Not to him. Not to the one person she saw as a close older brother.

If it wasn't for the violent look Michi shot her, she would've revealed all that they had strained to keep secret. _'Hideki…'_

Sakura sagged against her own leather bonds, her head dropping with unshed tears.

"Now, now Pink, what did I say?"

A sharp hiss tore from Hideki's throat as a knife pierced his thigh and Sakura whipped her head up, worry and hatred in her emerald eyes.

Akai grinned. It was feral and very much pleased. "I think you know what I just forced down his throat Pink. Do let your teammates know, I'm sure they're very curious." His tone was deceptively polite, but she knew that he was ordering her to tell them or else he'd just as easily stick another knife in Hideki.

"Safframate…" She whispered.

And he grinned again. "It's an aphrodisiac usually given in only extremely small doses. It's quite potent really. However, if given in large doses," He glanced at Hideki. "the effects can be somewhat…painful to put it lightly. It'll feel like your insides are twisting, you'll become dehydrated, you'll crave for sexual pleasure but won't be able to find release and you'll twist and turn and bend and scream for someone to touch you and soothe you but even that won't help."

As if on cue, Hideki's mouth wrenched open in a silent scream and he fought against his ties, his body shaking and veins about to pop. Sweat poured from his body as he heaved for breath, his face turning red from all the exertion and torment. Michi watched in horror, straining against her bonds to let him know that she was there, that he wasn't alone in this sick and twisted place.

Akai turned to her when he heard her chains rattle. "Don't worry dear, your turn is next." And there was something in his eyes as he glanced again at Sakura and she _knew_ as that cold sliver of dread lazily made its way down her spine what he was going to do to her.

_Don't look away. Don't look away. If you do, you'll only cause them more pain._

And she looked and forced herself not to tear her aching eyes away when Akai began to stroke Hideki's member, the motion long and hard as he squeezed on the super sensitive organ.

Her teammate tried to pull away in revulsion. She saw the disgust and fury in his hazel eyes among the helplessness and revolting sense of relief the action caused him. But he couldn't go anywhere, couldn't do anything as he was violated and his dignity slowly shattered.

_Stay silent. Don't break. Be strong. _

Akai released a sadistic laugh and stopped, a nasty sense of satisfaction crossing his face before he rounded on Michi. And just as he did to Hideki, forced another vial of that cursed drug down her throat. Sputtering, her captain managed to spit in his face, earning her a backhand that caused blood to spill from her mouth.

"Fiesty little bitch. I'll enjoy breaking you and don't even think about turning away Pink, I want you to enjoy this as much as I will."

For the first time since joining her team, Sakura saw a flash of fear cross Michi's chocolate eyes as she began to struggle anew, trying the fight the powerful effects of the safframate and Akai but it was no use. She gnashed her teeth, pulled against her chains until her skin was raw and blood flowed in paper thin streams down her arms. Her body abruptly convulsed and it looked like something was trying to get out of her as she shook her head from side to side, trying to stem the unbearable waves of agony no doubt churning in her lower body.

Akai unbuttoned his trousers and let them fall around his ankles. Sending a sardonic look towards Sakura, he pulled out a kunai and with deft hands that she recognized only _shinobi_ possessed—_Dear Kami, Akai was a ninja_. Why hadn't she noticed this before? And most likely the son of a bitch was a medic nin from the way he was able to manipulate the body and that would explain why he knew of saffframate. Not many knew of the drug since it was extremely difficult to obtain and hardly written about.

She glared at him, wanted to break free and feel his heart explode in the palm of her hand, wanted to hear his anguished cry as she killed him over and over again cause then it wouldn't make her feel so utterly useless and weak as that bastard picked her teammates apart.

He cut through her last remaining clothing, leaving her bare and open to his cold eyes. And in the background, Hideki struggled among the pain and convulsions rocking his body. He looked at Sakura for answers but she could offer none. All she could give him was a broken look before she was forced once again to look at Akai as he thrust himself into Michi's unwilling body. Her captain's scream pierced the chilly air of their nightmare and from the contorted angles her body was being subjected to, the safframate was at its peak. He continued to thrust into her, his movements hard and unforgiving and through it all, his coal black eyes never left Sakura's.

_Don't look away. Don't look away. _

She fought hard not to, even though it hurt so much to watch. For the sake of Michi and Hideki, for the sake of not appearing weak, for herself and her team. But when she noticed the empty and faraway look in Michi's eyes, the way her body had become slack, how she no longer struggled against the effects of the drug, just letting it consume her, and how she shied away brokenly from her rapist, Sakura's heart began to break and the tears began to fall, running down her dirt smeared face to hit the blood splattered stone beneath her. Even the strongest kunoichi had a breaking point.

Hideki screamed with rage, shouted curses and promised death.

And with one final thrust and wicked grin aimed at Sakura, Akai emptied himself inside her broken and violated captain.

Sakura sagged, head bowing until her chin rested on her collarbone. Her hatred for the monster in front of her shook her whole body. Breath came in short bursts as she strained to keep control of her wayward emotions.

Akai pulled up his pants, eyes glowing and a sneer across his lips and once again, he made his way over to the true object of his lust.

"I hope you enjoyed your treat Pink." He taunted, reveling in her unspeakable and barely contained emotion. It perpetuated the delicious air around her, almost making what she felt tangible.

Sakura glared at him, letting him see all the icy disgust and bone deep hatred for him and spoke in a deadly venomous voice. "I'm going to kill you, you fucking sick bastard."

His sneer turned into a satisfied and feral smile. And before she knew it, he kissed her hard then abruptly tore away, now sporting a bleeding lip. But his expression never faltered. Always the malicious intent, the lust burning in the black bottomless depths of his eyes. He touched his split lip with the pad of his thumb, watched his own blood trail down the corner of her lips before reaching up and smearing it across the dry cracked surface.

"For remembrance of this day you couldn't save your team." He then grabbed her chin and pulled her face closer until their breaths mingled. "I'm going to kill you too Pink."

He ghosted over her lips and then let go, leaving her to pick up the pieces of what remained.

_'Hideki…Michi…'_

"H-Haruno…" She whipped her head towards Hideki, watched him level a stare at their captain and the painful look in his eyes before another bout of agonizing spasms shook his body. She struggled and cried with a renewed vigor when she started to realize what was happening to them.

Michi and Hideki were _dying_. Her team was dying and there wasn't anything she could do about it.

Both their lips were a deadly shade of purple as they struggled for breath. Their now bloodshot eyes caught each other's and a sad smile touched both their bleeding lips. Their vital organs were beginning to slowly shut down.

Akai had laced the safframate with another deadly poison.

Sakura released an angry and frustrated sob, fighting against the ties that bound her like a mad woman. If only she could get free. She'd heal them. She'd use all that she knew to save them. Her captain had been brutally raped and Hideki, wise and all smiles Hideki…he'd been humiliated and beaten to a bloody pulp and now his own body was going to shut down on him.

"Damn it!" She screamed until her voice was hoarse. "I'm going to save you two. Just let me get free first and then I'll save you…we're a team, I'm not gonna let you guys die on me!"

She tried summoning her chakra, her monstrous strength. "Come on damn it!"

"Haruno…"

Sakura stopped her struggling to stare at Michi, a look of desperation in her eyes.

"You're going…you're going to get free and kill him for me. It's an order. I don't care how long it takes you, but you're going to fucking kill him…and make sure he suffers."

_Be silent. Don't break. Be strong. _

Sakura sobbed, a new stream of tears hugging the contours of her face. She nodded once, saw the resigned and thankful smile on her captain's bloody lips and didn't look away when Michi took her last breath and her life faded out.

She quickly turned to Hideki, all the pent up panic finally breaking free. "Don't leave…you can't leave me too…please stay with me Hideki. I don't know if I can make it out of here without you. _Please…_"

"Make sure…" A devilish grin even among all the decay and blood.

'_Hideki…don't leave…' _

"Make sure you cut off his balls and shove it down his throat for me."

Sakura nodded her head vigorously. "Right. I'll do that right after we get out of here."

_Sorrow._

It was the wrong emotion.

He sucked in a breath and coughed, blood falling on the cold stone and traveling down his chin. His lungs were collapsing. "Become stronger cherry blossom and take care of your new team."

Another breath. Almost the last.

"Michi and I were honored to have you on ours." He tried to reach a hand towards her, to offer some type of comfort for the teammate he couldn't protect but safframate was merciless and as his blood-strewn body arched and his last breath was expelled from his mouth, he too faded out of her life.

ANBU always told her to be prepared for the worst. ANBU always told her to harden her resolve and lock away all unnecessary emotions while on a mission because the slightest hesitance could get her killed. And ANBU always told her that under no circumstance were they to reveal who they were and where they were from. It would bring the village they fought so hard to protect danger and bloodshed.

But ANBU could never prepare her for how it felt to watch her team tortured in front of her eyes. They couldn't prepare her for how it felt to watch Michi and Hideki die a death they didn't deserve right in front of her eyes and that she couldn't do anything about it except silently promise that she'd kill the bastard who did this to them.

_Shinobi should always be prepared to die for their village at any given time. Such is the honorable life of ninja. Today is here and tomorrow may never come._

**…**

Another tormentor came the next day, ignoring the two dead bodies and focusing on her. He tried to make her talk but she made no sound. Didn't scream when he took a leather whip to her back then doused her open wounds with alcohol to prevent infection because Akai would have his head if she died. Her body was numb and her head spun in dizzying waves that made her want to heave.

He then dared to fondle her breasts and she bared her teeth in an animalistic rage that no leather straps could contain and when they broke, her fist connected with his jaw and she heard the satisfying cracking of bone and the wail of pain that followed. Two guards came rushing into the room and had her restrained, but not before suffering injuries to very sensitive places. They beat her until she fell unconscious in a pool of her own blood, the momentary surge of adrenaline draining from her body. The lashes from earlier were reopened and bleeding, her back nothing but a blanket of the deepest red.

It'd be during the night that Kakashi, Genma and Ino would assassinate the warlord, finishing the mission that her team failed to complete. And it would be on that beautiful night with the neon stars burning that they would save her and the shattered remnants of her ANBU team, find her broken and bloody and almost embracing the cold clutches of death cause it hurt too much to keep breathing. And it'd be the last time, _but not the very last_, that she would get a glimpse of the long black braid and ebony eyes of the man she swore to kill and who swore to kill her in return.

_However long it takes…I will kill you…for remembrance…and redemption…for your mistake in not killing me when you had the chance…_

_…to be continued…_

**A/N: So who's still with me after this grueling chapter? Ah, but living the life of a shinobi is a most dangerous and scarring life to live. And safframate comes from Anne Bishop and her Black Jewels Trilogy. I don't know if it's real so I'm gonna go ahead and give her full credit for the term since I got it from her books. **

**I got a few questions about Naruto and Sasuke and if they're going to be coming back. To be honest, I'm not quite sure myself. You'll know when I do. **

**Much thanks to everyone who took the time to review! **

_-hasu86_


	5. Mission

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Fade In**

_Chapter Five – Mission_

* * *

They sped through the trees, nothing but blurs among the shadows and blends under the clear blue sky of the early autumn morning.

Kunai flew in every direction, hitting bark and narrowly missing flesh and blood. Sweat trailed down bodies and glistened in the patches of sunlight that peeked through the cover of trees.

A swift chakra filled kick to a tree trunk had it hurtling in two pieces towards Aki. Dropping to the ground, he quickly dodged it and sent three shuriken at Sakura, which she countered with her own, sending them careening into the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kano's rapidly moving hands and jumped out of the way before the spiral of fire could touch her.

But she was too late to notice Aki coming from behind and abruptly her back met his knee. However, she didn't miss the golden opportunity to send a left hook, chakra withheld, flying and cleanly struck the underside of his face before twisting and using his chest as a springboard to propel herself into the air.

Sakura saw the flash of metal to her right and hissed when Kano's ninjaken slid across her upper arm. He was good with a blade, but fortunately she was better. With one swift movement, her own was pulled from its sheath sitting on her back and she blocked a succession of heavy blows.

Right, left, right, left, their ninjaken kissed and sparked, the sound of hard shiny metal against hard shiny metal disrupting the chill air of the training grounds. She swung in an arc and sent a powerful kick towards his chest, but Kano effortlessly blocked it with his arm.

Sakura jumped away and throwing her blade up into the air, her hands rapidly shot through a wave of seals. She caught her ninjaken midair and with a downward sweep, smiled when a swirling mass of razor sharp wind molded with her chakra made its way towards her teammate.

Kano swung upward in an effort to deflect the attack. His body was rammed against a tree from the force and the breath knocked out of him. One thing he could always be assured of was that training with his captain was no joke. Seconds later, he dodged a flying boulder only to be pummeled with a black gloved fist hiding behind the huge stone. He skidded backwards, his hand digging into the forest floor to keep his balance as he spat out the blood filling his mouth.

Aki, ever the opportunist, dove at Sakura from above, his two daggers acting like extensions of his arms and poised for swift attacks and even swifter blocks. She noticed the shadow from above and flipped out of the way but she was one second too slow and the sienna haired ninja was able to knick her shoulder with his chakra infused dagger. He sent her a glorified grin and Sakura was pretty sure that if he didn't need to worry about letting his guard down and her pounding his face, he would've done a little jig right there.

She saw Kano get up and with a nod towards each other, they both came running at her. She barely had time to pull a shadow clone, but managed all the same before Aki's knee connected with her ribs. She stumbled back, gasping for breath. He advanced on her, twin daggers at the ready. Her clone was in a hand to hand duel with Kano as the real Sakura pulled two kunai out of her tan leg holster and met Aki face to face, a series of sparks erupting on impact.

A leg came down with bone crushing intent as a right hook was thrown. Metal against metal as all the motions were blurred and kicks and punches flew left and right. Heavy breathing and panting sounded from amidst the flying grass and pieces of timber that fluttered to the ground with the orange and yellow leaves in an autumnal array around them.

**…**

Thirty minutes later found them completely exhausted, sitting under the shade of what few trees were left on the training ground. Sakura took a long swig from the canteen of ice-cold water and passed it on to her teammates.

Aki had tiredly sprawled himself on the grass, sporting a busted lip and several bruises that throbbed with the slightest movement.

"Sakura, did you really have to bust my lip open? I think it was seriously uncalled for." Aki said painfully.

The pink haired captain gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. I guess I just got a little too excited."

Kano let out a small laugh then hissed in pain at his own busted lip and the quickly purpling bruise just under his cheekbone.

"Hah! Serves you right." Aki pointed at the black haired ninja, enjoying his teammate's momentary pain cause it always did seem to lessen his own.

Sakura shook her head and got up, her own body screaming in protest. Cuts adorned her arms and legs and she was positive that she had a nasty bruise by her ribs. The back of her shirt was ripped and charred from Kano's fire attacks, but all in all, she was in relatively good shape. At least she had managed to avoid a split lip, unlike both of her twenty-two year old team members. Walking over to Aki's prone figure on the ground, she bent down stiffly and using her healing chakra, ran her fingers over his mouth.

"There, as good as new."

"And that's why it's completely awesome to have a medic-nin as your ANBU captain." Aki prodded his lip and smiled happily at feeling no pain.

Sakura smacked him on the shoulder.

"Oww."

"Don't take things for granted. I may not always be there to heal your busted lips and bruises."

She then made her way over to Kano and healed him, his lip no longer bleeding and swelled and the dark bruise gone.

"But…for the time being, consider them healed."

"You know we love you captain." Aki gave her a thankful look, his blue violet eyes soft and sincere.

"And that you may never be able to get rid of us." Kano added, his amber gaze very matter-of-fact as he leaned against the tree.

Sakura shook her head and laughed. It was real. It was happy. And it made her emerald eyes shimmer. "I think I might've hit you guys on the head too hard." And then she smiled, plopping herself on the ground and throwing her arms beneath her head in a very nonchalant manner. "And I love you guys too."

It was times like these that Kano and Aki truly cherished. Times when their beautifully jaded cherry blossom of a captain wasn't so monstrously strong and calculated, when she wasn't such a hardass and was simply just _human_…just _Sakura_.

They often wondered how she had been like before ANBU. They both had assumed her younger years had been filled with infatuations with boys and spending time with friends, as was the case with many younger female shinobi.

But their captain didn't talk much about her past. They knew she was a former student of Konoha's Copy Ninja and former teammate of the blonde haired Uzumaki Naruto and the infamous Uchiha Sasuke. They knew that her parents were deceased, just not how. And they were both aware of what had happened to her first ANBU team.

Before being assigned as her teammates, they had quickly been briefed about what had happened in Lightening Country. Details of course had been scarce and they didn't feel it in their right to ask for more. For both Kano and Aki were fresh meat and this, their first team so they didn't know what to expect. Was she some dysfunctional and emotional psychopath? A breakdown waiting to happen? An apathetic icicle with sadistic tendencies?

Suffice to say when a five foot six pink haired kunoichi walked into the room all business-like with a twinkle in her jade eyes, they had been surprised and a bit incredulous. Aki perhaps had been more enamored than surprised, especially since he was prone to swooning the ladies with his boyish charms every now and again. Kano had been the more lucid of the two when they had first met her.

But she just barely reached their shoulders and she just seemed so…just so different from what they had imagined. Perhaps if a seven foot kunoichi with biceps bigger than theirs who put their own masculinity to shame had walked through the door then they wouldn't have been so dumbfounded. But pink hair and very feminine curves with a beautiful face, it was highly unanticipated.

They had been told by Ibiki not to underestimate her.

They had.

And Kano had ended up with three broken ribs, a black eye, and bumps and bruises galore and Aki had nearly fell into a ten foot crack in the earth after failing to dodge a couple senbon. He ended up seeing stars and suffering a mild concussion.

All three had come to an understanding during that first training session. And Aki and Kano had come to understand their captain more and more as they trained and went on missions. Sakura was strong and fiercely protective, but she was also honest and caring.

She was a healer with an assassin's touch or maybe she was an assassin with a healer's touch. But Sakura was everything all rolled into one. A living, breathing contradiction. And sometimes, when she thought they weren't looking, she'd become faraway and she'd almost look…vulnerable…and lonely. Sometimes, being a ninja left much to be desired.

But they loved her. They loved her like a best friend, like brothers would a sister, like a cool breeze on a hot and humid day. She wasn't the only one who was fiercely protective. Kano and Aki had both agreed on a night sprinkled with the brightest stars and under the cover of a weeping willow while their captain slept that they too would die for her.

Twigs snapping and soft coughs interrupted the silent and contemplative atmosphere that had settled around them.

Sakura opened her eyes and sat up, smiling when she saw who they were. The trio was more or less just bigger versions of their past genin selves, down to the goggles and everything. "Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi…what brings you three around here?"

All three looked to her with something akin to relief and joy on their youthful faces. "Sakura-san!" They darted towards the pink haired medic-nin and tackled her.

"Guys…guys…can't….breath…"

They quickly let go, spewing apologies and poking her to see if she was alright as she regained her breath. "You three remember my team, Kano and Aki." Sakura gestured to the two shinobi a few feet on either side of her.

Konohamaru's eyes widened then his head proceeded to nod followed by a nervous bow. Udon did much the same while Moegi blushed like a cherry tomato and stammered out a 'Good morning'.

Kano and Aki smiled while looking on with interest. They usually saw these three around the village. One of the boys always seemed to have a runny nose and the girl always had a red tint to her round cheeks. They knew of Konohamaru and figured he was the leader of this chuunin group. This was the first time however, that both of them had been present in the younger three's company. Most of the time, it was just their captain.

"Sakura-san, we were so worried about you! Tsunade-sama wouldn't tell us anything and then we tried finding Kakashi-san and that was like impossible and—" Moegi was silenced by the older woman's laughter.

"This isn't funny Sakura-san!" Konohamaru crossed his arms as a haughty expression took over his features. Udon followed with a stern nod of his head.

"I can't believe you three attempted to find Kakashi. He'll only be found if he wants to be found. And I'm fine so stop worrying and slow down for a minute. Now, what's the real reason you guys are here?"

Over the years, the three had grown by leaps and bounds and somewhere along the way, they had attached themselves to her. She saw them often in the Hokage Tower when she was finishing up her training. Always wreaking havoc and running around under the impression that they were actually helping.

Sakura had often wondered why the three had so conveniently glued themselves to her side during the past years before ANBU and then it had occurred to her the reason why. She was what was left of a friendship and a team the three had idolized and emulated. A last dwindling link to Naruto and Sasuke. Was it so wrong for them to want to hold on to any piece of that they possibly could? Sakura wasn't about to shatter what little was left by shrugging them off. So she let them cling to her.

More often than not she would find herself eating at Ichiraku with them or being subjected to the perverted jutsus the Third Hokage's grandson liked to pull or listening to the woeful heart of Moegi as she expressed her unrequited love for said chocolate haired chuunin. It was during these times as she sat listening to the red-cheeked girl that Sakura was reminded of her thirteen-year-old self.

But so much time…so much change had occurred since then.

"Sakura-san? Are you listening?" Konohamaru asked.

Moegi and Udon leaned forward, scrutinizing the kunoichi with narrowed and suspicious eyes.

She perked up and ruffled Udon's hair with a smile, causing the boy to blush and the snot to run quicker. "What were you saying again?"

The seventeen year old continued with a huff. "I was saying that Tsunade-baachan sent us to find you and your teammates. She said she wants you three in her office pronto. Something about an important mission."

"Well, so much for taking a few days off." Sakura muttered. It had been Tsunade's suggestion after all. But after three days in the hospital and two days training, drinking, and lounging around her dusty apartment since everyone was on their own missions, there was only so much that she could take before getting edgy. She supposed being a part of ANBU and assigned non-stop missions would do that to a person.

"Hmm…I wonder what's up…"

"Hokage-sama seemed a little…tense or maybe it was worried when she was relaying the info to us." Udon commented. Though the teen always looked tired and clueless, his observation skills were much better than his teammates.

"Really?" Sakura furrowed her brows. Whatever was happening was probably serious then.

Udon nodded as the three chuunin stood up.

"Sorry we can't talk longer Sakura-san, but we've got our own mission to prepare for." Konohamaru said, apologetic smile lifting the corners of his mouth.

"Don't worry about it. Take care of yourselves."

"You too Sakura-san!" Moegi embraced the older shinobi tightly before stepping away.

She nodded and ruffled the two boys' hair despite them being taller than her and ignored their protests of being subjected to such childish handling when they were obviously the 'most powerful shinobi in the village'. She only grinned before watching them take off through the trees.

"I guess we should make our way to the Hokage's office then." Aki stated as he gracefully stood from the ground, stretching his long limbs and suppressing a yawn.

Kano and Sakura followed suit and they were soon making their way out of the training grounds and towards Tsunade's office.

* * *

"Kakashi?" Sakura tilted her head questioningly when she spotted him by the window.

"Yo." He placed the little novel of scandalous smut in his back pocket before throwing a wave towards Sakura and her teammates.

Kano raised a brow, betraying very little of the curiosity he felt at being in the presence of the Sharingan user. He glanced at Aki and saw a similar expression on his teammate's face. They really didn't know how to act when in the same room with Hatake Kakashi. While they held nothing but respect for the older and more experienced shinobi, they couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated by his presence. Though, by all outward appearances, the gray haired ninja seemed completely harmless. Yeah, that was until he whipped off his hitae-ate and used his Sharingan on some poor unfortunate soul. Still, if Sakura could be at such ease with him, why not them?

It was then the blonde Hokage decided to sweep into the room in a blur of green.

"Good. You're all here so I'll get strait to the point." She swirled around and crossed her arms over her chest, a serious expression adorning her features.

"I got a scroll from Getsugakure about an hour ago from one of their fastest flyers. It seems that some type of unknown sickness is plaguing the village and the leaders of prominent families are being murdered left and right. They're in dire need of help, especially since most of their medic-nin are inexperienced and they don't have many shinobi to spare."

Sakura fisted her hand. Moon Country. Snippets of memories fluttered across her mind but her attention was once again directed at Tsunade as she began speaking again.

"Sakura…" The Hokage leveled a stare on the pink haired kunoichi. "I need the medic not the ANBU member on this mission. I need you to find out what's causing the villagers to drop dead after only three days and fix it. I'm sending Hatake as a reinforcement since I know you and your team are gonna need it."

Sakura nodded, a strange sense of foreboding beginning to fill her.

"There's no time to waste. I want this contained before it spreads beyond control and I want the murders solved so travel fast, travel hard and pack light. You leave within the hour."

All four showed their understanding, Sakura and Kakashi sharing a knowing look. They had ties to Getsugakure. They had snippets of time of that mission and people they knew despite the lack of contact. It was a memorable village and so to have it be plagued by illness and death…it was just unbefitting for such a place where the moon's luminescence cast the surrounding waters in a beautiful glow.

After Sakura and her team headed out with the promise of meeting at the front gates in half an hour, to which she had directed a pointed glare at the chronically late Copy Nin and threatened to castrate him if he dared show up a second late, Tsunade quickly stopped Kakashi before he disappeared through the window.

"I know Hokage-sama."

"Just…"

"They're ANBU first and foremost. You know as well as I do that we're stubborn little shits. But I'll try." That was the best he could offer.

No promises cause more often than not, Kakashi was always forced to break them. So he would leave her with the reassurance of doing everything he possibly could to bring them back to Konoha if this mission proved more than what it was.

"That means you too Hatake."

He gave her a smile, one that made his exposed eye crinkle a little, and a small wave before disappearing.

Tsunade took the few steps needed to reach the open window and looked out into the village she loved and cherished. She hadn't wanted to give this urgent mission to Sakura's team. The fact that they had just gotten back from a six month ANBU mission in Sound made her feel slightly guilty. Not even a week and they were already preparing to leave. But there was no one else, besides herself and Shizune, who was as well versed in the medical field as Sakura. And if anyone could figure out what was ailing Getsugakure, her former apprentice could. She just hoped that adding Kakashi to the team was enough to ensure their safe return to Konoha.

Letting out a deep breath, Tsunade scanned the distant horizon.

_Travel fast but travel safe… and come back home alive… _

**…_to be continued…_**

**A/N: Heartfelt thanks to everyone for all the wonderful and supportive reviews and taking the time to read! Oh and I have a soft spot for Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi, which is why I couldn't resist putting them in, if only for a brief moment. I did change their ages a bit also.**

_-hasu86_


	6. Touch

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Fade In**

_Chapter Six – Touch_

* * *

East. 

They were traveling east of Konoha to get to Moon Country. The island in the shape of a crescent and surrounded by the bluest waters. The same waters that Sakura had swam in during an unexpected vacation so long ago.

Worry. Dread. Fear. Anticipation. They coursed through her in dizzying waves, made her legs push harder, her feet move faster. Anything to cut the time and get them to the ferry quicker, bringing them ever closer to the small island nation riddled with an unknown illness and dotted with mysterious murders.

Sakura had sped back to her apartment and hopped into the shower in record time after leaving Tsunade's office. Donning a fresh ANBU uniform, she had packed everything she needed, double-checking all the medical supplies she might possibly need but even still, with next to nothing to go on concerning the sickness, how could she know what to bring with her?

She had wracked her brain for illnesses that could kill in three days, but then again, almost anything could. Poison? A common cold somehow evolved perhaps? Some man-made affliction? There was just too little information and until she could see it up close and personal, she would have to make do with just shoving all she could into her black pack. But the Land of the Moon was a wealthy country so Sakura wasn't too worried about not having the necessary medical equipment on hand.

Sakura lifted her ANBU mask and let it rest on the side of her head. Popping a soldier pill into her mouth, she let the force of her teeth grind it into tiny pieces. She threw one each to her teammates, hearing the familiar crunch a few seconds later. She glanced at Kakashi questioningly and saw him shake his head, refusing her offer with a small smile but his eye clearly told her that he disapproved, which she answered with a roll of her eyes. It wasn't like he really needed it anyway. Hatake Kakashi wasn't even breaking a sweat at the speed they were going.

They had four hours to get to the eastern borders of Fire Country and make it onto the ferry that would then take them to the white sand beaches of Moon. It would be half a day's journey on water and then about another five hours to actually get into Getsugakure. They wouldn't arrive there until late tomorrow morning, weather permitting.

To Sakura, it felt like a lifetime had already passed since they'd first been given the mission a mere two hours ago. But she was already going as fast as her legs could carry her, the straps of her ninjaken sheath and black bag secured over her shoulder and across her chest. She fell back in line with Kakashi, letting Kano and Aki take the lead.

"So what do you think?"

Kakashi tossed her a thoughtful glance before looking forward again. "A power hungry lunatic bent on taking over the village?" He offered.

Sakura snorted. "Maybe, but the idiot won't have a village to rule over if all the people are dead." She bit her lip in thought. "There has to be something more to it. The murders. The sickness."

"So you think both are linked?"

"I wouldn't be surprised." Sakura replied.

"My thoughts exactly."

Kakashi watched her from the corner of his eye as a comforting silence settled between them. He could tell she was tense by the look of her body. Tight shoulders. Clenching hands. Stiff jaw. The Copy Nin wasn't going to blame her though. Getsugakure had been a home away from home once.

"Do you think…do you think they're okay? Michiru and Hikaru?" She asked quietly.

The gray-haired shinobi gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure they're fine Sakura."

But he could tell she wasn't reassured at all.

"What if we don't get there in time?"

Always the healer. Always wanting to save everyone. Even when she was still so far away.

And then Kakashi breached the distance between them and took her hand. He didn't like to touch very often, but he had learned once upon a time that he didn't mind it so much if it was Sakura. And he reasoned, during stressful times a little bit of touching comfort usually helped calm the nerves.

"We will and then you can save everyone with your superb medic-nin abilities and maybe even fatally maim the bastard behind this." He squeezed her hand and was about to let go but found that he couldn't.

"I'm happy you're with me—with us." She corrected, flustering slightly. "Thank you Kakashi." She let go of his hand and giving him a heartfelt smile, covered her face with her ANBU mask and jumped ahead.

Sakura imperceptibly flexed the hand that had been encased in his just moments ago, Kakashi doing the same.

Warm. Safe. Soft. Strong.

…_dangerous things…touch…names whispered like soft caresses in the night…very dangerous things…_

* * *

The steady rock of the ferry as it glided through the sparkling water had a lulling effect on Sakura. Her head nodded off sleepily, the arm on the boat's railing supporting her weight slipping and causing the upper half of her body to slowly make its way over the side. 

"Get some rest. You're going to need all your energy and chakra once we get to Moon." Kakashi said as he came to stand next to her.

She jerked upward, narrowly missing his head. Recognizing his tone as one that wasn't asking but rather ordering, she huffed. "I'm not a genin anymore Kakashi."

"You don't expect to live off soldier pills for the rest of your active duty life do you?"

Sakura scowled and glared at him, quickly rubbing the last traces of sleepiness from her jade eyes. "I'm not tired."

"So says the kunoichi who almost fell over the side of the ferry." A smirk played on his lips beneath the mask but his gaze was unrelenting.

"I agree with Hatake-san Sakura." Aki looked imploringly at her when he stepped to her left. "The bags under your eyes aren't very fetching." He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at her acrimonious expression.

She turned on her teammate, mouth agape. "He's infected you too?!"

The violet-eyed shinobi raised a brow in confusion as Kakashi ran a hand through his gray locks.

Sakura narrowed her eyes in betrayal. "I'm twenty three, an ANBU kunoichi who's also the best med—"

"We know dearest, but the last thing any of us needs is a sleep deprived medic-nin low on energy and chakra who can't keep her eyes open long enough to get anything done." Kakashi placed his hand on top of hers, running smooth circles with the pad of his thumb along her soft skin.

She stilled at the contact, not quite sure what to make of it or the tiny tingles the seemingly innocent gesture caused. He was touching her again, as if it was the most natural thing in the world and a little part of her couldn't help but think that it was.

"Please _Sakura-chan_. I know you know we're right." If it was possible, his eye beseechingly drooped a little more and it reminded her of Pakkun and she never could resist that cute little bundle of fur and paws.

Giving them both another dagger filled glare, she grumpily sighed in defeat. "Fine. But I'm not happy with it." And for the second time that day, the pink haired kunoichi slipped her hand from Kakashi's and stomped off towards the little room they were able to acquire for the half-day journey while muttering her displeasure and something about overprotective males being complete asses.

Kano was almost run over by his storming captain as he came around the corner, sidestepping quickly so as to avoid her flailing arms. He saw the other two shinobi and looked inquiringly at them as he approached and stood on Kakashi's right.

"Just told her she needed some sleep." Aki explained.

"I see." The black haired ninja said in understanding before relaying what little he was able to discover during his quick recon of the ferry. "Nothing seems out of the ordinary. Though we did draw attention from the other passengers. That's to be expected of course considering we're in ANBU gear. However, it appears that no one is aware of the mysterious sickness ailing Getsugakure."

"Probably because those who've gone into the city are either dead or dying. No doubt they've closed off the city to prevent anyone from coming or going." Aki leaned forward, rubbing his temples as he inhaled the scent of the ocean surrounding them.

Then a question suddenly struck the sienna haired ninja. "Do we know if it's contagious or not?"

Kakashi slouched and ran a callous hand down his masked face. "That has yet to be determined."

"So essentially we may be walking right into an epidemic." Kano stated rather than asked.

And quite suddenly, the whole mission seemed a lot more daunting than just a few moments ago. A somewhat awkward silence then descended on the three shinobi as the sun slowly anchored in the horizon, casting orange yellow hues onto the water's shimmering surface.

"Hatake-san?"

"Kakashi. I'm not really one for formality." The silver haired jounin voiced.

Aki nodded and continued, though a bit wary. "How long have you known our captain?" He glanced at his teammate and found him equally attentive.

"For about ten years."

"We've always wondered how Sakura was like when she was younger." A wistful smile lifted the corners of Kano's mouth. "She was never one to divulge though."

Kakashi'd always wondered what her ANBU teammates were like. On past missions, it was always just Sakura and another jounin, usually Genma or sometimes Raido that made up the team. He'd never actually had the chance to engage in friendly conversation with her 'boys', as she'd like to call them. Sakura talked about them on occasion and Kakashi had to admit that he was always a bit curious about them.

Tall, broad shouldered with pitch-black hair and amber eyes Kano Morishita and lanky with sienna hair and blue violet eyes Aki Shimizu. Two very fine ANBU shinobi who came from mediocre but honorable families within the village. They had excelled in the art of ninjaken and dagger wielding respectively. And if he read the profiles correctly, both were decent in taijutsu and could hold their own in battle. He didn't doubt that. They hadn't died yet on a mission so that said something about their skills. They were respectable shinobi and he'd come to the conclusion (though it took a fair amount of self convincing) that they were good for Sakura.

However, he couldn't help but dwell on the thought that if Naruto and Sasuke hadn't left, that maybe it'd be those two standing on either side of him instead of Kano and Aki, the two new men in his cherry blossom's life. Kakashi knew Sakura held them close, much like the way she once had with her genin teammates.

But everything was so different now. Events beyond anyone's control had swept in like a whirlwind, shaping and molding and scarring. If anyone had asked him where he thought Haruno Sakura would end up in ten years, he would've easily said the Konoha hospital working her healing magic on patients fortunate enough to come under her care. Not on a ferry heading for Moon Country as a hardass ANBU captain who'd already experienced and seen too much to make even the most hardened ninja grit his teeth.

Kakashi sighed and scratched the back of his head. He could tell they were almost dying to know any tidbit of info about their captain, what with the slight squirming Aki was pulling and Kano's furtive glances aimed at his person. Did Sakura tell them nothing? And she used to be such a talker too. But that was before her life took such a tragic turn and she clammed up.

He should know cause he was just as tragically flawed and impervious. But they had a right to know. After being on a team with her for almost two years, he felt they deserved some sort of compensation for taking care of her when he couldn't. So what if Sakura was unwilling to tell them, it didn't mean that he was and if he suffered the consequences of his abnormally talkative self tonight, then so be it. He had seen her at her absolute worse. Torn, bloody and broken, so he was pretty damn sure he could withstand her wrath of fury if she ever found out.

"Sakura was different back then. She was bubbly and whiny and naïve. She loved easily and cried easily. And she was blinded by all the pretty things, the idealistic things, never really considering the true reality of the world. That's what really set her apart from us. From me, from Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. She hadn't really experienced loss, pain or loneliness, something that the three of us were already so familiar with." An unidentifiable emotion flickered across his eye so quickly that Kano thought it was just his imagination.

"And what did you three do? Leave her on bench somewhere and ignore her because she wasn't as jaded?" Aki said, letting his sudden anger color his words. He wasn't used to hearing Sakura described like that so he couldn't stop himself from automatically rising to his captain's defense.

Kakashi steadied his gaze on Aki as a detached coldness overcame his features. These kids didn't know shit about anything. But it wasn't that they were assuming. He had fully expected them to defend Sakura. It was just that Aki had hit a little closer to home than Kakashi was willing to admit.

Kano expelled a pent up breath and leaned against the railing tiredly. "Aki doesn't mean to be presumptuous. As I'm sure you've noticed, we're a bit protective when it comes to our captain. We owe her a lot and so to hear anything contradictory to what we know firsthand, it's a little disconcerting." He explained, though he had the snaking suspicion that the Copy Nin had already predicted their reactions.

Kakashi wordlessly accepted the small apology, ignoring the blue-violet eyed ninja's soft grumbling. He couldn't hold it against the two ninja though. If in their position, he would've reacted the same way. But he didn't want to base anything on lies regarding Sakura, even if the lies sounded much better than the truth.

"We really didn't ignore her. At least not in the sense of giving her the cold shoulder. We left her to get stronger cause none of us were capable of helping her. She felt weak and useless even though she had the best chakra control out of all of us. But Sakura still had a lot to learn."

"And that's when she started studying under Hokage-sama." Kano murmured as the last rays of sunlight disappeared into the horizon.

Kakashi nodded. "She broke a little when Sasuke and Naruto left Konoha. She felt bitter and betrayed." A nostalgic smile touched his lips. "Nearly took down her whole apartment building when she found out. But as with everything else that's happened to her, she got stronger and decided to try for ANBU after finishing her training with the Fifth and other jounins in the village and to the surprise of many, succeeded. And then her parents died, followed by her first ANBU team and I think that's what finally made her break, made her close herself up and lose hope. She couldn't keep living in her idealistic world. A shinobi's life can't afford that."

His gaze wasn't there with them anymore. Instead, it was distant and unreachable. A million miles away without a look back. Oftentimes, Kano would see that expression on his father's face. It was one filled with ghosts of the past and all the shortcomings and regrets that piled up along the way.

Aki sighed, the breathy sound slicing through the slight tension that had built up around them. "We figured she lived a regular life. Boys and friends, you know, what young kunoichi like to do."

"She did…for a time…"

_Before the Chuunin Exams…before Orochimaru and Sasuke…before she lost her important people one after another…_

"And you were there for her…at least tried to be." Kano whispered. "She talks about you often. Whether she realizes it or not is a different matter."

"We've been through a lot."

And through it all, he wondered when the strait clear path had bent and twisted and curved until the lines were blurred and he didn't quite know what Sakura meant to him anymore. Or maybe what he wished she might be to him. Something more. Something less. Warm and soft. A beautiful tragedy blossomed from the harsh reality of the shinobi's world, where death was your close companion and life the light at the end of the tunnel.

When had his feelings become so complicated? When had he ceased to be the platonic Kakashi who avoided such things and simply enjoyed the wonderful and stimulating images brought about by words in black ink? When had he started wanting more, but felt so undeserving, of just her smiles and friendly greetings?

'…_when I became a shoulder to cry on…a sake drinking companion during restless nights plagued by demons…the first time my heart was gripped by such blatant fear for her rapidly dwindling life… when she was no longer beautifully innocent but now…beautifully scarred… when she bared her lonely soul for me and I held her…touched her…'_

His inner balance abruptly thrown off kilter, he shifted and stepped away from them, tossing a light wave over his shoulder as he casually strolled away and around the corner of the thrumming ferry, as if he hadn't just let loose a past a certain pink haired kunoichi would rather keep in the dark.

He distantly hoped they understood more clearly why their captain was the way she was…but he also hoped that they would keep and cherish the painted image of a once bubbly, naïve, and idealistic Sakura. Before she wasn't so jaded and gave up hope for missions and blood. Before the sparkle in her eyes dimmed and she didn't smile as brightly as she once did. Keep and cherish. Cherish what he, Naruto and Sasuke hadn't cherished when they had the chance.

_Sakura dreamed of an infuriating silver-haired Copy-Nin running long strong fingers across her skin that night as the ferry parted through the glimmering waters towards Moon._

_And Kakashi…Kakashi dreamed of long winter nights with nothing but his cherry blossom to keep him warm…_

* * *

As they waited for the Getsugakure gates to open after a long discussion proving who they were to the skeptical Moon Country shinobi on duty, Sakura kept stealing glances at her former sensei. She really didn't understand why she was doing so in the first place, but Kami help her, it was starting to grate on her nerves. 

"See something you like?" The Copy Nin shamelessly whispered into her ear.

She sputtered and all her vexation was instantly replaced by annoyance as she swatted him away. "Now isn't the time."

"Right. You can let me know later and we'll see what I can—"

Rolling her jade eyes, she placed her finger on his covered lips, the action akin to shushing a small talkative child. "Shut it Kakashi."

Sakura heard the heavy wooden gate creak open and chased all thoughts of the silver haired jounin away from her mind. Now was not the time. There were sick people dying and murders being committed just beyond the barrier that stood between them and the village.

"Once we're inside, I don't want anyone getting close to the sick until I find out what exactly is happening. Kano and Aki, I need you both to scout around the village. Find out all that you can. Report back to me in three hours at the hospital." She looked at Kakashi and saw him waiting patiently. "Can you meet with Michiru and Hikaru? Tell them we're here, if they don't already know, and have them brief you on anything that might help."

The three nodded and she gave them all a fleeting smile before they entered through the open gates of Getsugakure.

…_to be continued…_

**A/N: More of an insight chapter than anything, with small steps taken between them. Much appreciation for reading and thank you to all those who reviewed the previous chapter! **

_-hasu86_


	7. Poison

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Fade In**

_Chapter Seven – Poison_

* * *

ANBU mask sitting on top of her head and hiding her rather unruly cherry blossom locks, she watched the two fidgeting medics in front of her, both women with tanned skin and dark brown hair.

"Well…uh…it started about a week ago. Increased heart rates, hallucinations, some have reported a loss of balance also." The one named Kari answered.

"And this occurred during the onset of the sickness?"

They nodded stiffly and simultaneously gulped.

"And what happened as it progressed?" She pressed on.

"They slowly died."

'_No shit._' Suppressing the urge to throttle one or both of them, she took a deep breath, patience wearing thin. "And the symptoms as it progressed?"

The other one answered. What was her name again? Suki? Well, it sounded right and at the moment, she could care less if it wasn't.

"A-Apologies Haruno-san. The last stages included flushing of the skin and confusion and then they'd pass on." She looked down at her twiddling fingers nervously.

"And that's all?" Sakura raised a brow skeptically.

"Y-Yes. That's all." They both replied.

She was having a hard time believing them though. It was quite obvious they were hiding something. The nervous jittering, the shifting eyes and the slight fear coming off them in waves. They were acting like cornered animals and she the big bad wolf blocking any and all chances for escape.

"Look, I'm not here to cause you guys any trouble. I just want to help."

"You're causing us trouble just by being here Haruno-san." Kari said quietly before quickly being nudged in her side by Suki whom Sakura guessed was older by the small wrinkles around her eyes and the laugh lines around her mouth. She shook her head at the younger woman, wordlessly telling her to keep her silence.

Confusion muddling her thoughts, Sakura pinned them with an inquiring look. "Is there something I'm not aware of here?"

Suki stared imploringly at the ANBU kunoichi. "Please leave the hospital Haruno-san."

Sakura's expression turned icy and her words pierced the two medic-nin like needle sharp icicles. "How many people have you let die? What are you so afraid of?"

"You don't understand Haruno-san." Suki turned away.

"Then make me understand! There are people dying and unless one or both of you tell me what the fuck is going on, those people _will _die."

"Even now we're being watched. There is too much at risk. Please, Haruno-san." Kari whispered, fear laced within each word as her chocolate eyes pleaded to leave the matter be.

Sakura's body was strained and tense. Just what the hell was going on? She looked around the eerily silent waiting room. Were they turning away the ailing patients? Where did they go? Why weren't they helping? Who was watching them?

She closed her eyes, releasing a deep breath. Her heart suddenly felt heavy as Kari's words sunk in. It didn't take a genius to figure out their forced situation.

"Whoever's behind this, they're threatening all of you huh? What is it? Your brothers and sisters? Your children? Your whole family? It's forcing all the medics to sit back and watch helplessly as all the afflicted die without any sense of hope right? None of you can do shit without the fear of someone you care and love dying…" The pink haired shinobi clenched her fists. It was such a low and dirty tactic, but more often than not, it achieved the desired results in the end.

She heard a wretched sob and turned her back on the two women. "It's okay. I understand more than you can ever know."

Hurried steps thundered down a hallway to the left, beyond the swinging double doors. "Suki! Kari!" The booming male voice bellowed angrily, the harsh tone promising a strict scolding.

Kari gave her aunt a waning look before taking the few steps separating her from the ANBU kunoichi. She whispered hastily. "It isn't contagious even though everyone seems to think so. We think it might be a poison, but we're not entirely sure. I'm sorry that we can't be of more help Haruno-san."

She turned just as the double doors violently swung open and a skinny greasy haired man with black-rimmed glasses stormed towards them. His face was contorted with a sneer, dark hawk-like eyes ablaze with barely contained fury.

"You're not needed here ANBU." He hissed.

Sakura let her mind memorize his features. He was definitely the shady character and was probably already lured over to the enemy's side by the promise of power and riches. "I was just leaving."

As she walked out of the hospital, a sense of hopelessness and dread filling the pit of her stomach, she heard the furious whispers tossed back and forth between the three medic-nin and wondered what they were saying. Wondered if they knew who was behind this sickening tampering with life and death and if so, would they mind giving her a name and address so she could run her ninjaken through their cold-blooded heart?

Once she stepped out and into the sun, Sakura sighed in frustration. But it wasn't like she didn't want to help Getsugakure. The healer in her demanded it. It was just the fact that she'd virtually be on her own in attempting to solve the mysteries of the sudden and quite fatal illness sweeping across the village. Her fist connected with a wooden bench sitting outside of the hospital, splintering it in two and sending tiny pieces of timber every which way.

"…_not contagious…we believe it may be a poison…" _A poison? How had some toxin managed to find its way into the villagers' hands?

And what was worse, she wouldn't have the help of the village medics or the hospital's facilities. And no way was she going to force them into it. Not when their loved ones were at stake. Sakura almost laughed. In spite, in helplessness, in anger, she didn't know, but whoever instigated this had woven their web of fear, threats, blood, and death quite well. She just hoped her other three teammates were having more luck than she was.

* * *

The streets of Getsugakure were sparse as Kano and Aki jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Few people were out and the ones that were seemed to be in a hurry, constantly looking over their shoulders, paranoia and fear coloring their features and movements. The two ANBU noticed that some shops were still open despite all that was happening in the village and nodding at each other, descended into a bakery in hopes of finding out some information.

"We're all going to die if Michiru-sama doesn't do anything!"

"What is he waiting for? So many people have already died."

The hushed but frantic whispers floated through the air of the small bakery as they entered, their light footsteps hardly making a sound on the hardwood floors.

"Excuse us, but we'd—" Aki paused as three heads whipped around to face them.

There were three older gentlemen sitting at a square wooden table towards the back of the shop and by the swinging door that led to the kitchen. Pastries and bread lined the shelves encased by clear glass to the shinobis' left, backed by more shelves with baskets and various honeys and jams.

The kitchen door suddenly swung open to reveal a middle-aged woman with a few graying strands threading through her black hair and dark exhausted circles under her eyes. She held a chubby child in one arm and a bottle in the other.

"Oh." Surprise flew across her face as she clutched the bundle of drooling cuteness closer to her body. The baby boy responded by grasping a lock of dark hair and pulling, squealing all the while.

One of the men stood from the table, his long gray hair tied back at the nape of his neck. He was tanned and leanly built but stood shorter than the two ANBU shinobi. Aged lines graced his angular face as well as stubble, no doubt from days gone unshaven, but he stood strong and demanded respect.

"ANBU. Don't see your kind around here often." He commented gruffly. However, Kano and Aki noted the distrust in his voice.

Thinking the masks that covered their faces would make this whole exchange too impersonal and less yielding of results, they swiped it to the side and Aki gave them a friendly smile.

"We don't mean to intrude, but we were wondering if you could answer some questions."

The man snorted in derision. "Yeah. We'd like some answers to our own questions too. For starters, what the hell are you two doing here?"

"Hiroshi, I'll have none of that hostility in here! There's already plenty going around this village." The woman reprimanded and turned to the two ninja, adjusting the child onto her hip.

"Don't mind him."

"You're too trusting Ami." Hiroshi said as he crossed his arms across his chest, leveling a stern look on the two ANBU.

The other two older men sat quietly, watching the exchange with mounting interest.

She rolled her chocolate eyes, sighing wearily. "And you don't trust enough. Not everyone is your enemy dear. If they had anything to hide, they wouldn't have taken off their masks."

"Right. That's right before they stick you with those sharp metal dagger things." He growled stubbornly.

Thinking that it wasn't really worth standing around listening to these two bicker, Kano was about to replace his mask and walk right back out when the woman's voice stopped him.

"Please stay and whether my husband likes it or not, we'll be more than happy to answer your questions."

The black haired shinobi glanced at Aki, his teammate's blue violet eyes shining hopefully, and suppressing a sigh, nodded.

**…**

"The sickness started about a week ago. No one knows what the cause of it is, but half the village became inflicted, about a third of them dying a few days later. Hallucinations, confusion, blurry vision, imbalance, all these are just some of the symptoms. And during the last stages, they just stopped breathing all together." Ami said, voice fluctuating with suppressed emotions.

Kano furrowed his brows. "And the medic-nins, the hospital, they haven't found anything yet?"

Another spiteful snort escaped Hiroshi. "Who knows what the hell they're doing, but it sure ain't their fucking jobs."

"What do you mean?" Aki leaned further onto his elbows, eyeing the older man curiously.

"They've been saying it's nothing. Just some flu like sickness that'll pass. They just shove some useless antibiotics into people's hands and tell them to leave."

A murmur of agreement came from the two other men, who were introduced to Kano and Aki as Hiroshi's brothers Jirou and Nobu.

"What we don't understand is why." Ami whispered confusedly while she cradled the now sleeping child in her arms, running a soft hand down his plump cheek.

Aki shared a knowing look with Kano, a form of silent communication the two were used to and quite adept at after being on a team for two years. They hoped Sakura had managed to find an answer to that.

The sienna haired ninja took a quick sip from the glass of ice water and continued. "Have you heard anything about the murders of prominent leaders lately?"

"It's been passed along here and there." Jirou replied. "So far, Nori Yamada and Shin Matsuo have been found dead in their homes. Both current heads of their clans."

"How many prominent clans are there?" Kano asked.

"Five. Yamada, Matsuo, Nahano, Arita, and Oshiro." Nobu answered, inhaling a cupful of sake seconds after.

"And have any of you heard anything about who might be behind all of this?" Aki inquired as he raked a hand through his reddish brown locks.

They all shook their heads.

"The only thing we've heard so far is that help is being sent for. Everything else has been in bits and pieces, word of mouth, gossip. Since we can't even rely on our own hospital," Hiroshi's tone was particularly harsh when those words left his mouth. "They were forced to send word to other countries. And I can't help but presume you two are the help." A slight raise of his brow followed by Kano's nod affirmed his suspicions.

Hiroshi continued with what he was saying after leaning back in his chair. "Moon doesn't have a strong shinobi class, as we don't usually have threats and are relatively peaceful. Most of our income comes from our trading industry. We may be considered a rich country, but unfortunately, even wealth didn't prepare us for something like this."

His wife let out a sigh, one that was heavily burdened with grief. "Everyone is paranoid. Blaming each other, blaming Michiru-sama and Hikaru-sama for these horrible and bizarre happenings. No one will go near the sick, afraid they'll catch it. This is a bad time for Getsugakure." Ami wiped at her eyes, willing the tears away. "But the sickness isn't contagious as many believe. All the hysteria's blinding everyone."

A breath of relief escaped Aki. "How do you know?"

"We took care of our youngest son as he suffered through the unknown illness and none of us caught it…and then…" Fists clenching tightly until the whites of his knuckles shown, Hiroshi looked away as his voice became leaded with grief. "We were forced to bury him three days later."

A quiet sob escaped Ami's lips. "No parents should ever have to bury their child." She hugged the slumbering bundle of innocence to her chest, laying a soft kiss upon his brow.

"What we've told you two is all we know." Hiroshi said tiredly, suddenly looking as old as he felt.

Kano pushed his chair back and stood, his teammate doing the same.

"Thank you." Aki offered them a sincere smile, before replacing his mask.

A sudden clatter from the kitchen followed by a heartbreaking wail startled the group and woke up the sleeping child in Ami's arms. Lightening fast, she handed the delicate crying bundle to Hiroshi and rushed through the swinging door, trying to hide the fear and the hopelessness threatening to consume her weary soul.

"Little Taichi's mother…my daughter Mei…she came down with the sickness two days ago."

Though shinobi, ANBU shinobi especially, shouldn't allow emotions to surface, Aki couldn't help the clenching in his chest or the soft hope wafting past his lips. "Don't worry, we're going to find out what's going on here and fix it."

Hiroshi gave them a small nod, appreciation lighting up his hazel eyes.

Once the two ninja had taken to the rooftops once more, Kano addressed Aki in a clipped tone.

"You shouldn't promise things. What if you can't deliver? There's no use in giving false hope Aki. The letdown will only run deeper and darker."

Blue violets hardened and his lips became a thin line. "Did you see them Kano? I might be an ANBU shinobi but for fuck's sake, that doesn't mean I'm a heartless, emotionless bastard. And from what I know, you aren't one either so don't fucking act like your unaffected."

"Then you damn well better keep your word."

"Whoever said I wouldn't?" Aki smirked. "Besides, knowing Sakura, she'll never give up until she finds out what the hell is going on here."

Kano only grunted in response. Promises were so easily broken, like the fragility of a butterfly's wings, all it took was one failure, one unexpected impact before it cracked and eventually shattered. He silently hoped against hope that Aki was right.

* * *

Michiru blinked, eyes wide and disbelieving. "Kakashi-san?"

"Yo."

He rubbed his eyes, as if still incredulous of the sight. "Am I dreaming?"

Kakashi raised a silvery brow. "I was under the notion that you sent for help."

"Well, I was going to but apparently someone beat me to it." The ruler scratched the back of his head in thought.

"Who has access to your seal of approval?"

Michiru looked up. "Only myself and my son."

"It was your fastest flyer Michiru-san."

Comprehension dawned on the weary man's face, followed by a watery smile. "Then it was Hikaru. Only Kaze will listen to him."

And Kakashi noted how the once chubby man had slimmed down a bit, but the redness of his eyes, the fatigue settling around his features, and the slumping of his shoulders as if carrying a great weight told the Copy Nin of the ruler's many sleepless nights spent worrying and trying to find solutions.

Michiru ran a shaking hand down his face, trying to wipe away some of the exhaustion. "Nonetheless, I'm glad to see you. Are you alone?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Sakura and her ANBU team are here also."

"ANBU?" Michiru's eyes widened considerably.

The silver haired jounin nodded, before getting strait to the point. "Perhaps we should save the idle chatter for another day. But you can start by telling me all that you can about what's happening with your village Michiru-san."

"I don't even know where to begin. Murders and sickness. Everything's chaos."

Kakashi walked over to a window and peered out, eye roaming the castle grounds. "Do you have any idea of who may be behind all this?"

"Do you think the two events are linked?"

"Possibly." He shrugged.

"I…don't know." There was a slight hesitance in his tone that the ninja didn't miss. Nor did he miss the drops of sweat trailing down his face or the nervous grip on the arm of his cushioned chair.

Kakashi glanced over his shoulder to look at him. "Where is Hikaru, Michiru-san?"

"In his room." He replied. Though a little too rushed for the Copy Nin's taste.

"Michiru-san, your villagers are dying and several are already dead. How long do you plan on hiding the truth? I don't appreciate being lied to."

"Who said I was lying?" He bristled in defense.

"I did, but your actions and reactions say it all." Kakashi swung back around and shot him a stony glare. "Now, are you going to tell me the truth or keep up with the lies?"

Michiru slumped forward and cradled his head in his trembling hands. "I don't know what to do. I promised Father I'd be a generous ruler…a great ruler, but how do you decide between your country and your son?" He looked up, tears streaming down his face and he looked utterly defeated.

Rapid footsteps sounded from just outside the doorway of Michiru's study before the door burst open and in walked a man dressed in light blue robes.

"Tsuki-sama, I heard that you were in the company of a foreign shinobi and—"

Said man wiped at his eyes quickly, dispelling the last traces of the salty moisture. "It's okay Dai. He's an old friend."

Kakashi assessed the man who had interrupted. Pale blond hair, dark brown eyes and a solid build. Not quite that of a shinobi but one that had been trained in combat.

"Hatake-san, my closest and loyal friend and sometimes advisor, Dai Oshiro."

The Copy Nin nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"What brings you here Hatake-san?" Dark chocolate eyes glowed with polite curiosity, but Kakashi was adroit at looking underneath the underneath, and he wasn't one to be tricked into thinking the man actually wanted to know. This Dai Oshiro already knew. If the forced smile didn't say anything, than the imperceptible (though only to the untrained eye) narrowing of his orbs did.

"Just here to help." He plastered on a fake grin. "But, don't mind me. I was just on my way out. Michiru-san, Oshiro-san. I'll be in touch." Tossing them a wave, he disappeared, leaving nothing but a small cloud of dissipating gray smoke behind.

* * *

After having connected all the information gathered from the other three, Sakura paced back and forth, flattening the green grass beneath her feet more and more.

"So, let me sum this up. The medics won't, or rather can't, do anything because if they do, it'd put their important people in harms way and of course, they're not willing to risk that. Fortunately the sickness isn't contagious and from what Kari said, it's most likely a poison instead but we still don't know what type it is and how it's being distributed.

"Michiru's a nervous wreck and from what Kakashi discovered, he's most likely being threatened by whoever's behind this for something valuable and very important to Moon Country and Hikaru's missing. My guess he's either being held captive or suffering the effects of the poison himself. The antidote's probably being dangled in front of Michiru in hopes of making him cave and save his son instead of his country.

"And so far, two of the five clan leaders have been found dead. Matsuo and Yamada, leaving Nahano, Arita, and Oshiro. Anyone of them likely to be the next target."

"Did you say Oshiro Sakura?"

She turned to Kakashi, nodding her head. "Why?"

"I met a Dai Oshiro earlier when he stormed into my meeting with Michiru. It almost seemed like he didn't want me to be there." The Copy Nin said.

"Shady character number two. There's this greasy haired spectacled bastard in the hospital. He didn't want me there either."

"So can we hunt them down and beat the info out of them?" Aki piped up, looking a bit too eager to pound some face.

Sakura smiled wryly, but shook her head. "We can't do that. No telling what'll happen afterwards."

But there was something she needed to do first before they went around clobbering suspects and extracting information to get to the bottom of this mission. The innocent villagers needed her right now and she couldn't waste another second meddling around and dissecting what little facts they had.

"Kano, Aki, you two said the bakery you visited had someone there that was inflicted right?"

"The baker's daughter." Kano replied.

"Can you take me there? I need to see the symptoms up close before I can do anything."

Her two teammates nodded and she turned to Kakashi once again. "I'm guessing you already know what I'm thinking?" She ventured, feeling very much like the Sakura from Team Seven in that moment. It felt a little odd to be ordering around her former sensei, which was why she never did it directly. Like it or not though, she knew he was always one step ahead of her.

"I don't fancy myself a mind reader but yes, I think I already know. Find out the whereabouts of Hikaru and what they're after."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Sakura quipped, knowing that he knew she'd do just about anything to save someone.

"Wouldn't dream of it." And he was off again, nothing but a dark jumping blur against the blue and white backdrop of pristine buildings and open sky.

**…**

It wasn't too long after Kakashi's departure that the remaining three found themselves inside the bakery. But the table was empty and no one was in sight. And beyond the swinging door that led to the kitchen, that led to a daughter and a mother who was suffering through the harsh effects of a still as of yet confirmed poison, muffled voices and what sounded like sobs could be vaguely heard.

"Hiroshi-san! Ami-san!" Aki called, letting them know they'd returned, as unexpected as it was.

Feet shuffling along hardwood floors and the slight squeak of the metal hinges of the swinging door drew their attention. Hiroshi stepped through, surprise written across his face but it slowly dissolved into a strained polite expression.

"I'm sorry, but now isn't the best time." He was about to turn away, but Sakura stopped him.

"Wait. May I see your daughter? I can help her if you'll let me."

Hiroshi stilled, feeling the familiar flutter of hope beat in his chest. But it all just seemed too good to be true.

"Please Hiroshi-san, our captain's the best chance your daughter has of surviving." Aki said, almost certain that he couldn't refuse such a blatant offer of help, of hope, of a chance in saving his daughter because anything was better than nothing.

The older man turned, hazel eyes falling on the pink haired ANBU kunoichi standing between the two shinobi he met earlier. He considered her for a long moment before his jaw set in determination. "She's upstairs. My wife is tending to her right now."

Sakura then turned to her team. "I can handle things here. Scout out the clans. We can't afford to lose anymore time."

Though a bit hesitant, Kano and Aki both nodded in acquiescence and disappeared in clouds of gray smoke.

Hiroshi gestured for her to follow him and soon they were climbing up creaking wooden stairs.

"You don't look the ANBU type." He said, breaking the quietude surrounding them.

"Appearances can be deceiving Hiroshi-san." Sakura gave him a slight smile, seeing the small tilt of his head as if considering what she said very carefully, as if weighing the worth of each individual word. It seemed like he wanted to say something else, but he didn't, instead closing his mouth and letting the silence fall once more.

After coming to the top of the stairs, they happened across a dimly lit hallway and she trailed behind as he turned right and stopped at the second door on the left. Soft cooing and whispered words echoed through the walls and the squeaky springs of the bed protested to what sounded like a body thrashing around.

Hiroshi opened the door and Sakura stepped through, instantly taking in the sight of the two women. The older one turned her gray streaked hair, surprise etched on her wrinkling face.

"Ami, this is—damn, I don't even know your name." He scratched the back of his head, slightly embarrassed.

"Sakura. I'm a medic-nin." She stepped closer until she stood by the bedpost, emerald eyes quickly surveying the sickened body lying in front of her. The woman was sweating profusely and extremely pale as her head turned from side to side and her hands gripped the crumpled bedding beneath her.

"She's with those other two ANBU from earlier." Hiroshi clarified for his wife who looked skeptically at the still masked ninja before her.

And remembering that her mask was still on, Sakura took it off and placed it inside the black pack she carried before taking that off too, bringing the strap up and over her head along with her ninjaken.

Ami and Hiroshi stared, slightly dumbfounded at the now unmasked kunoichi. Perhaps they thought she was horribly disfigured or maybe missing a few teeth or even an eye, Sakura didn't know and as amusing as it was to temporarily stun others, she couldn't waste time that didn't belong to her. Waving at them dismissively and setting her pack down against the wall, she took her place next to their daughter and began probing the body with her chakra.

The young woman gasped and Sakura knew that it was slightly uncomfortable to have her chakra invading her body. Leaving those thoughts to rest, she continued, concentrating and trying to find the unconfirmed poison.

And when the pink haired shinobi did, she grimaced. It was without a doubt a highly toxic poison. It appeared so very dark in her senses and already it was locked within the woman's bloodstream, taking residence within her cells and slowly killing. Her heart was pumping at an irregularly fast rate and her breathing would soon become erratic and unstable.

Sakura opened her jade eyes. She'd have to extract the poison directly. _Dokunuki no Jutsu._ The poison extraction technique she used in many life-threatening occasions when time was limited and she didn't know what she dealing with. However, based on what she saw and heard from the two women at the hospital, she had an inkling of what type of poison this was and then she'd know for sure. She'd be able to confirm her suspicions once she extracted it from the woman's body.

"I'm going to need several large bowls of water and some towels." Sakura said in her strictly medic-nin voice.

But Hiroshi and Ami just stood there, blinking owlishly at her. Maybe she hadn't spoken clear enough.

"Look, your daughter's been poisoned and in order to save her, I need to extract it from her body right now."

"Save her?" Ami whispered.

"Yes."

And they kicked into action, scrambling towards the door and down to the kitchen to do as Sakura had requested. About ten minutes later, several large bowls of water were lined up beside the bed within easy reach and the towels right beside her on the small nightstand next to the bed.

"This is a delicate technique so please hold her down while it's being performed."

Hiroshi grunted as he tightly held down his daughter's legs and his wife took possession of her arms. They didn't know what to expect, just braced themselves for this rare experience of seeing a medic-nin in action and hoped for the best.

"Okay, let's begin." Sakura said as she molded the water in the first bowl into a floating chakra infused sphere and bringing it over the woman's abdomen, pressed it into the body, never losing focus when Mei's body arched painfully, fighting against her parents' hold and raspy screams passed her pale lips.

**…**

Sakura wiped the last traces of sweat from her forehead as she surveyed her patient. A healthy color had settled into her skin and her heart no longer beat erratically. Her breathing was still a bit shallow, but that would change with rest and time. From the medical supplies she'd brought from Konoha, she was able to come up with a makeshift IV bag and needle to help in her recovery.

"Your daughter's going to be fine. I've extracted almost all of the poison and the rest, her body will flush out on its own."

Salty tears slid down Ami's cheeks. She just couldn't find the words to express her gratitude to the ANBU kunoichi who'd just saved her daughter's life. During the whole medical procedure, she and her husband had stared in awe as slowly but surely, the poison was pulled from Mei's body.

"How can we ever thank you?" Hiroshi murmured, quite overcome with relief and happiness that his little girl's life no longer hung in the balance.

"Just take care of her like I know you will." Sakura answered.

Her attention was then directed at the dark violet substance she'd managed to store in a small vial for examination. Holding it up to the light, she carefully turned it around. While extracting it from the cells of Mei's body, she'd been able to confirm her suspicions and the type of poison. She'd only dealt with it once in her life and that had been in Amegakure a year and a half ago. But then, it hadn't been this potent, this pure.

_Belladonna. Deadly nightshade. _It had so many names but it all meant the same. It all bode the same ill fate to whoever ingested its toxicity. Sakura knew this plant wasn't native to Moon Country either. And damn it, she didn't have the antidote with her! She'd have to make enough on her own in as little time as possible. Maybe even infiltrate the hospital and see if they had some in their stores or at least the necessary ingredients.

It'd be impossible to use Dokunuki no Jutsu on every single poisoned person in the village, not without basically killing herself in the effort. She'd have to work fast and distribute it to every inflicted villager.

"Sakura-san, how can we be of help?" Hiroshi asked, determination set into the aged lines of his face. He wasn't going to be refused, not when he owed this woman he barely knew so much already.

She considered him for a moment and then nodded. She wouldn't be able to do this alone. That she knew. "I'm going to need your kitchen and then later on, your help in getting the antidote out to all the poisoned. But first things first, I need to find out how it's getting into the hands of the people."

_And then hurt and maim and probably break a few important bones of the bastard behind this._

**…_to be continued…_**

**A/N: Life gets in the way sometimes. Hope you enjoyed! **

_-hasu86_


	8. Antidote

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Fade In**

_Chapter Eight – Antidote_

* * *

"Cham…"

The dark gray tiger licked the rasping boy's hand tenderly, offering what little comfort he could to the bedridden teen.

Hikaru swiped a shaking hand across his sweaty forehead. He didn't exactly know when it happened, but all he knew was that breathing had become so hard and blurry visions of times long past kept flickering in front of him with the ba-bump of his heart deafening in his ears. It scared him sometimes, the irregularity of it all.

He wondered how his father was, sincerely hoped his old man hadn't caved to the demands simply because his son had gotten himself poisoned. Because really, when it came down to it Hikaru had no qualms about dying for his country, for something he loved and cherished, for something he believed in. His jiijii had done it and he would too.

"I hope Kaze got to Konoha." He whispered hoarsely and to no one in particular.

His words echoed off the stone walls in the small chamber hidden in the east wing of the castle known only to him and his father. It was currently serving as his hideout to provide his father more time and to keep him out of harms way until help could arrive. But unfortunately, he'd already been administered the poison and it was slowly eating away at his system. Such a burden he was now and Hikaru knew, he just knew that his father was on the brink of cracking.

"Don't do it Father, what's my life compared to what may happen to all the other countless innocent lives of Moon Country?"

And he remembered a time when four shinobi had risked their lives to save him and his father and his village, had given them the strength and the courage to go on and not give up. And Hikaru remembered a promise made on clear blue waters and under the neon stars.

_Friends forever…we'll never forget each other… _

And he hoped, even though hope seemed so dim and faraway, that promises were going to be kept because he truly needed more friends in these dark and troubled hours.

"They'll come Cham…and then everything…everything will be okay again…"

* * *

"Four ANBU from an unknown village arrived late this morning."

"I am aware of that."

"What would you have us do?"

"Dispose of them. One is most likely a medic and so will try to find an antidote. Get rid of everything in the hospital before they can infiltrate it. Have you located the Prince yet?"

"We haven't."

"Hn. It won't matter. He'll die soon enough and then Michiru will have no choice but to hand over the island's sacred scrolls."

The messenger nodded, bowing low. "Is there anything else you require of me Dai-sama?"

"Has the asset stated his price yet?"

"He told me to tell you that you'd find out when he deemed it the right time."

"I see." A brief silence stretched across the room before his deep masculine voice continued. "You may leave."

Feet shuffled along the stone floor and a door was pulled open and then quickly closed with a small thud.

* * *

"Damn it!" Sakura swore as she splintered another bench, this time the one outside the bakery. It seemed she was doing that a lot lately.

"Um, you might wanna calm down before you hurt yourself or someone close to you, like me." Aki took a few steps away from his captain.

She turned on him, jade eyes glaring. "Well, you two seem perfectly calm. Another clan leader dead and still a whole shit load of questions unanswered."

Kano almost winced at the accusing tone his pink haired leader aimed their way. "It wouldn't do to show too much emotion Captain. Aren't you always telling us to cool it and think straight anyway?" He commented offhandedly, hoping he wouldn't get a tree thrown at him for pointing that little fact out.

Sakura took a deep breath, calming down the river of frustration flooding her body. "Which clan was it?"

"Oshiro. We got there moments after it happened." The black haired shinobi ran a hand through his dark locks.

"Kakashi mentioned something about meeting a Dai Oshiro at the castle. Was it him?"

Aki shook his head. "It was his uncle."

"Power hungry nephew willing to kill his own uncle?" Sakura mulled over the thought. "Doesn't seem so farfetched. I wouldn't be surprised if he's the one behind all this, under the guise of someone else. He'd be close enough to Michiru and Hikaru, close enough that they'd trust him and not even suspect him."

"And if that's the case, what's he after that he'd go and poison the whole village too?" Aki asked. "Hatake's investigating at the castle right?"

She nodded, still going over all the facts in her head. "They've probably underestimated us. Probably thought we wouldn't be able to piece everything together so quickly. Silly bastards. But they know we're here, so they're going to act faster."

A sudden chill went down her spine as she realized the implications. "Which means they're most likely going to get rid of everything at the hospital as soon as possible so I can't get my hands on the antidote." She cursed underneath her breath. "I have to get over there right now."

Turning sharply on her heel, Sakura placed her mask over her face and addressed her team. "Kano, guard the Arita clan and Aki, the Nahano clan. Make sure no one gets close to them. I have to get to the hospital pronto to retrieve the antidote before they do."

"Be safe Captain." Kano said as he inclined his head at her orders.

"Don't get yourselves killed." And with that she was off, dashing across the rooftops towards the medical center.

It wasn't too long after that she arrived back at the first place she'd visited upon entering Getsugakure. She noted the sun was just beginning to set, casting long shadows across the ground she walked on. Things would be easier in the dark anyway. But her head quickly swiveled to the left right before she was going to pick the lock and slip in through the doors. Those chakra signals definitely weren't her teams'. And if she wasn't mistaken, they were heading straight for her.

_Shit._

She was hoping to avoid any sort of confrontation with the enemy. Get in and get out as quietly as possible and try not to alert anyone of her unwanted presence. Well, so much for that plan. But maybe…maybe if she was quick enough she'd be able to escape with the antidote or at least the ingredients for one.

Sakura quickly set to work, whipping out a senbon and inserting it into the lock and moving it around at the just the right angles, heard the satisfying click seconds after and slipped in among the shadows. Now where did they hide the poison supplies? She ran over to the reception desk, flipping through files and binders, looking for a map of the hospital. Sighing in relief when she found it, Sakura ran a black gloved finger along the simple drawing, emerald eyes scanning for the room.

_Second floor. Room 225B. Antidote Supply Room. _

Sensing the chakra signals getting closer, she dashed through the double doors, saw the sign for the stairs and going through another door, rapidly climbed two flights of stairs and burst onto the second floor.

"215, 217, 219…" She mumbled as she ran down the hall. "225A, 225B." Sakura skidded to a stop and tried the door handle. Locked. She cursed again when she felt the signals enter the hospital. Unsheathing her ninjaken, she used the hilt and broke the glass, and sticking her arm through, mindful of the few protruding pointy shards, unlocked the door from within.

'_So much for trying not to alert anyone of my arrival.'_ She thought as she swiftly entered and scanned the room. A large metal refrigerator stood to her left and a tall shelf encased in glass to her right. Various herbs and testing supplies lay in neat organized rows along the tables, cushioned stools sitting beneath. As Sakura headed towards the fridge, she really hoped there would already be a good supply in store.

She opened it and peered inside, going over all the precise labels on the clear glass bottles. She almost pumped a fist into the air in joy when she spotted the pilocarpine antidote among all of them. There were three large bottles, hopefully plenty for all the villagers who were poisoned.

Lifting her black pack over her head and onto the sterile floor, she gently placed them in and spotting a small box of syringes, threw it in there also.

"H-Haruno san?!"

Sakura recognized the voice immediately and damned her luck to hell. She turned to the woman standing in the hallway, confusion and fright marring her young features. "Kari, you have to get out of here right now."

"You shouldn't be here Haruno-san." She took a few steps into the room, clutching manila folders to her chest.

"There's no time to explain!" The pink haired kunoichi snapped before hearing a door slam open and running footsteps. "Get down!" Throwing her bag over her shoulder, Sakura ran to the young medic.

But she was too late.

She caught Kari's kunai embedded body as it fell lifeless into her arms, the feel of her blood warm and slick against her hands. But Sakura didn't have time to mourn the young medic she barely knew. More kunai came flying at her and letting go of the body she jumped back and kicked up a table to block her.

Sakura fisted her bloody hands, trying to quell the rush of fury consuming her. She counted three chakra signals, all of whom didn't seem like high level ninja. Furious whispers traveled to her, though she couldn't make out what they were saying. Well, introductions had to be made of course.

Making sure her pack was securely strapped across her shoulder, she picked up the table pin-cushioned with kunai and shuriken and threw it through the glass windows, causing an explosion of razor sharp fragments and plaster. Abrupt shouts and hisses of pain met her ears as she ran out into the messy hallway fogged with dust from the broken wall. Her eyes made out their dark shadows and running up to the one closest to her, she twisted his arm and flipped him over her shoulder. Her ninjaken was out in a streaking flash, deadly metal glinting in the waning sunlight and it cleanly slid through his heart, nothing but a choking gasp escaping his gaping mouth.

"Where the fuck is she?!" One of them yelled as he turned his head around, trying to locate the ANBU shinobi.

"How the fuck should I know?! I was too fucking busy dodging the fucking table she threw through the windows!" The other shouted back, nursing the many cuts on his hands and face from trying to shield himself from all flying glass.

"And where the hell is—" But his words were quickly and smoothly cut off when the deadly sharp edge of a kunai slid across his throat, severing his jugular and allowing a spray of blood to coat the glass strewn floor before him.

"G-Genji?!" The last pathetic excuse for a ninja stuttered, eyes wide and disbelieving.

Sakura was on him before he could take another breath, chakra infused hand gripping his throat as she dug a knee painfully into his groin to hold his struggling form down.

"Who sent you?!"

"I-I don't know!"

Her grip tightened causing a choking sob to bubble from his mouth. "Care to try again?"

"It's the t-truth!" He gasped, trying to fight himself free from the masked kunoichi but failing miserably. "We got our orders from another no name guy but I don't know where he gets his!"

"And the poison. How's it being distributed?!"

"I don't know! I have nothing to do with that shit!" He cried.

Sakura processed his response, sensing no lies hidden within. "What village are you from?" She hissed venomously.

"Rogue ninja, we were hired." He replied shakily, trying to avoid the piercing jade orbs boring holes into his head.

"And you came here to get rid of all the antidotes?"

He nodded and added rather willingly, "And to get rid of you and your ANBU friends."

She almost laughed. "Well, you guys are going to have to try a lot harder than this." And she promptly knocked him out with a harsh punch to the face that broke his nose.

Sakura tossed his unconscious body aside and stood up, traversing the distance between her and Kari's body. Picking up the dead medic-nin, she carried her to another room and gently placed her on the clean bed.

"I'm sorry…" She whispered.

Sakura dragged in a breath before looking away. She needed to get rid of the three rogue nin and tossing them into the surrounding trees seemed like a good idea. Leaving the room, she gathered up the bodies and opening the window, leaped out into the darkening glow of evening.

* * *

Kano easily dodged the flurry of shuriken, countering some with his razor sharp ninjaken. If he wasn't mistaken, he'd rightly assume that besides the Arita clan head, he was also an intended target. So, they were trying to get rid of the help too. His golden irises caught an enemy figure to his immediate right and he rapidly released two kunai, catching the unsuspecting ninja in the chest and head.

He'd already secured the Arita clan head in a secret room in the basement, stationing the leader's best men with him just in case one the enemy made it past him. Running along the darkened shadows of the large estate, Kano counted four chakra signals, each varying in levels but none that would prove too much trouble. Apparently, as his captain had pointed out, the enemy had definitely underestimated them or had simply hired incapable nins.

Coming upon another ninja from behind, his hands quickly performed the seals for a genjutsu, smirking satisfactorily as his unsuspecting opponent stood mesmerized and slowly crumpled to the ground in an unconscious heap.

He rounded another corner, running up a nearby tree and jumping onto a balcony to get to the rooftop of the western side of the Arita estate where another one of the shinobi were. Kano saw him swivel his head and with eyes widened impossibly, fumbled to perform whatever jutsu he had in mind.

A barrage of needle sharp ice crystals came flying towards him and sheathing his ninjaken, the ANBU's hands flowed through his own seals and moments after, a powerful stream of fire in the shape of a phoenix swirled around his opponent's attack, crushing it easily.

Kano emerged through the flames and seeing the pale-faced ninja about to leap off the roof, he quickly grabbed his leg mid-jump, bringing himself half way over the edge in the process. His adversary's body slammed against the side of the estate and was knocked out on impact. It wasn't the most ideal way to stop him, but it was effective. He released the body, not sparing a backwards glance as it spiraled the short distance to the ground. Picking himself up, he once again dashed along the rooftops, heading towards his other two targets who, if they were lucky, wouldn't know what hit them.

* * *

Aki sidestepped a heavy punch studded with metal spikes. Movements like liquid and daggers glinting in the moonlight, he threw a left hook and cut his opponent's face at the same time. The rogue ninja hired to take out the leader of the Nahano clan and the ANBU shinobi cursed, clutching the side of his face that bled profusely.

"You'll pay for that!" He snarled, clumsily throwing himself at the sienna haired ninja.

Aki met him with a swift knee to the gut, knocking the breath out of him. He watched as the burly man staggered back and already having wasted too much time on this idiot, dealt him an uppercut, sending the body into the trunk of a tree. Seconds later, Aki's twin daggers slid effortlessly through his chest, pinning the rogue nin to the tree as blood poured from his wheezing mouth.

Ripping his blades out, Aki rapidly made his way over to the sounds of shouts and metal clangs inside the Nahano dojo. Tearing through the shoji screen doors, he took them by surprise right before a katana was going to be driven through the clan leader's heart. But all he needed was that brief moment of hesitation, that window of opportunity to throw several shuriken, taking the ninja's finger off and causing him to drop the shiny blade that would've otherwise been coated with Nahano blood.

Nothing like impeccable timing he thought to himself as his chakra infused daggers slashed deep through flesh, littering the training floor with red. Strong arms grabbed him from behind, temporarily immobilizing him but he'd be damned if some low level rogue ninja for hire took him down. With a burst of strength, Aki pushed backward, slamming the body against the wall lined with spears and moving forward, flipped the dizzy ninja over his shoulders and drove his already blood stained dagger through his middle.

Regaining his breath, Aki then scanned the room, noting that the shaken and elderly Nahano leader was being helped up by a few of his beat up clan members and all enemy ninja were either dead or gone. He doubted that any more enemy nins would be returning here. After word got out about what happened, he wouldn't blame them if they all decided to flee, choosing to disappear with the money promised and their lives and limbs still intact.

And he wondered how his teammates were faring as the clan came over to thank him and he wiped his daggers clean. No doubt they were fine he told himself. They'd faced greater threats than this and yet, still managed to come away alive.

* * *

Throughout a good portion of the night and with the help of Ami, Hiroshi, and his brothers Sakura was able to administer the antidote to mostly everyone who'd been poisoned. But some who were on the verge of death that no amount of the antidote could save she extracted the poison from their bodies directly. Maybe it was foolish of her. Maybe she was just trying too hard to save everyone but seeing the hopeful looks and hearing their desperate pleas of help, it'd been too much for the healer in her to refuse.

She walked into another home, following an elderly woman as she hobbled through the hallway and opened a door. "My grandson's in there." She croaked, pointing a trembling finger at the prone form lying in rags on the floor.

"If you can save him, fine. If not, it's no big loss. He's worthless anyway. Serves him right the little bastard. Bringing back food and not even sharing it." She spat as she hobbled away, waving a wrinkly arm in displeasure.

Sakura resisted the urge to give a nasty reply to the old crone, clenching her jaw instead. How could she forget that not everyone came from loving homes and lived lovely lives filled with sunshine and flowers? Throwing the disparaging thoughts from her mind, cause really it only reminded her of her own not so lovely past, the rosette haired ANBU crossed the small distance between her and the boy and kneeled down, taking off her mask and gently turning the panting young teen onto his back. She lowered an ear to his chest and assessed his condition. One minute longer and the boy would surely perish.

"Okaa-san?" His dry cracked lips bled with the effort of speaking.

Sakura didn't have the heart to reply so settled on simply brushing his sweat soaked locks away from his forehead. "Shhh. You'll be fine."

He smiled, eyes filming over with a sheen of salty moisture.

She began the extraction with the metal bowl of water she assumed was placed there for him to drink. Beads of sweat traveled down the contours of her face after beginning the poison extraction, her arms trembling slightly. Her chakra reserves were already low. Hardly any rest and numerous performances of Dokunuki no Jutsu were taking their toll on her body.

But she was determined. Maybe even a little crazy.

"I'm coming home okaa-san…"

Sakura furrowed her brows in confusion at his murmured words as she formed another sphere of water. True to its nature, belladonna caused confusion and hallucinations, but with the poison already this far gone—

And quite suddenly the true meaning behind his words struck her. "No! Stay with me!"

He was suddenly gasping for breath, his heart racing, beating a frantic pace beneath her hand. Dissolving the watery sphere, she tried to slow down his heartbeat with a steady stream of chakra into his system, tried to increase the blood flow and not make his heart work so hard. Sakura slapped his pale sunken cheek, hoping the sharp pain would bring him back long enough for her to save him.

"Come on!" She cried, not sure if she could take another person dying in her arms.

And then his heart slowed down and a wet trail of tears trickled from the corner of his eyes and fell across his temple as he took one last shuddering breath and died.

Sakura sat there despondently, hands still resting on his chest. Even though she saw death so often, gave death so often, it still hurt and stung like all hell when they died under her hands. She couldn't save everyone, couldn't even save herself sometimes, but damn it she wished she could. Hardening herself, she gently dragged her fingers down his eyelids, closing them for good and brought the shoddy blanket over to cover his form.

When she stood on shaky legs a wave of vertigo crashed into her and she had to stop herself from crashing back to the floor. She wiped her forehead and took a deep breath. Just a little time to regain her bearings was all she needed.

And in that time, Sakura took in the sparsely furnished room. Spotting a clear plastic bag in the corner, she slowly went over to see what it was. She picked it up, seeing a whole and a half eaten bun. Sticking a gloved hand inside, she grabbed the half eaten food and bringing it out of the bag, analyzed its contents. It seemed like a simple red bean filling. Sakura then broke it in half and sniffed it. Still nothing out of the ordinary. About to disregard the old food, her jade eyes caught something small and dark within the filling. Bringing it closer, she inspected it, immediately realizing the importance of her find.

So this was how it was being distributed and why only certain people seemed to come down with the poisoning. Whoever was behind this was mixing belladonna with the buns and of course, what villager was going to thoroughly inspect their food before eating it? It was such a simple way of distribution that she had completely overlooked it.

Fisting the bag in her hands, she glanced one last time at the young teen, sending out a silent prayer that wherever he was, he was happy with his okaa-san. She nearly bowled over the old woman in her haste as she ran out of the room.

"Is he dead?!" She called out coarsely.

Sakura turned around, emerald oceans hard and unforgiving. "No…he's home."

* * *

**…_to be continued…_**

* * *

**A/N: I wanted to wrap up the mission in this chapter actually, but thought that it'd be too much. But the next should do it. Hope you all enjoyed! And appreciative thanks for all the wonderful reviews! They warm my heart and soul. **

_-hasu86_


	9. Promises

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Fade In**

_Chapter Nine – Promises_

* * *

As Kakashi scaled the rooftop, dodging flying shuriken and trying to lose his pursuers, he carefully shifted the weight on his back. Glancing behind him, his mouth hidden beneath the mask turned into a grimace.

"Hikaru?"

The only response the copy-nin received was a raspy breath. At least the prince was still alive but he wouldn't be for long if he wasted any more time. Time that he didn't have nor could they both afford. Kakashi dropped down into a dark alleyway and ran with the black shadows cast by the surrounding tall buildings and homes.

Hearing the sharp whiz of spinning metal coming straight at the teen he carried, he twisted his body and grunted as the front of his left shoulder was pierced by the sharp pointy edges. Kakashi quickly ripped it out, a gasp torn from his lips as the shiny metal coated with his blood clattered onto the pavement. He quickened his pace, muscles straining and sweat pouring down his forehead.

Everything had happened so quickly. He'd summoned Pakkun to see if he could catch Hikaru's scent within the castle and then a familiar little animal had appeared. Kakashi had recognized it immediately. The small dark golden monkey that had been paired with the dark gray tiger during their circus acts. And it'd appeared, as it tilted its head to the side, that it vaguely remembered him or maybe it was some sixth animal sense but moments after, he and Pakkun were racing down shadowed corridors and rounding bends and twists, the dark brown pug warning him if there were any enemies close by as they followed the little animal.

They'd ended up in a study in the east wing of the castle. Judging by the cobwebs and the thick layer of dust coating just about everything it was rarely used, if ever. The small primate then proceeded to jump up and down, pounding its dark little paws on the painted stone wall. Kakashi understood immediately and he quickly and carefully inspected it. Coming across a loose stone, he pushed it in and with a smooth 'woosh' a hidden door swung open.

Kiki's cries had alerted Cham of their arrival and the dark tiger had emerged, ivory fangs bared in a menacing snarl. And even after the many years that had passed, he too had recognized the gray haired jounin and turned back into the hidden room, wanting him to follow. Pakkun had bade his farewell and promptly vanished before Kakashi entered the dimly lit chamber.

And he'd found what he'd been looking for. Tossing and turning on the bed and breathing harshly lay the prince he sought for. Kakashi had tried to wake him, only getting a feeble response that sounded strangely like his name and a breathy hiss of pain. Realizing that they didn't have time cause time was never on anyone's side, he'd hoisted Hikaru's body onto his back and with Cham and Kiki leading the way, dashed out of the secret chamber hidden behind painted walls and layers of dust and towards the one person Kakashi knew could save the dying teen he carried.

But what he hadn't accounted for was the several enemy shinobi bearing down on him. The castle guards yes, but he hadn't anticipated what looked like rogue nin attacking him and it seemed they didn't care at all if the prince was hurt or not. The only reason he was able to escape the castle grounds was because of Cham and one ferocious little monkey clawing out eyes.

However, a few were able to get through their defenses and were now currently breathing down his neck. Kakashi glanced behind him again, counting three moving shadows in hot pursuit. He cursed under his breath. He'd have to get rid of them and that meant placing Hikaru down, potentially putting him in danger but there was no other way.

Scanning his surroundings, he spotted a deeply embedded doorway shrouded in darkness to his right and quickly made his way over. He carefully put him down, silently promising the teen that he'd return and once he did, everything would be fine.

Standing up, Kakashi disappeared and reemerged by the furious whispers of the three ninja.

"He wants him dead!"

"And I'm telling you these ain't no ordinary ninja! ANBU they may be but shit, did you hear how all of them took out the other rogues?! Like fucking nothing!"

"Stop pussyfoot'in around and find—"

Kakashi brandished two kunai, one dripping in warm red and twirled each on his fingers before gripping them tightly and dashing towards another enemy nin. Sparks erupted as steel met steel. His opponent grunted, nervous sweat gliding down his face as his eyes shifted. They both flew apart and hands blurring with a series of seals, a huge ball of fire swept over the much slower ninja. He fumbled out of the attack, shrieking and swatting at his flaming clothes and burning skin. Kakashi dealt him a quick kunai to the heart, puncturing the beating organ and after tearing it out, swiftly blocked the last ninja's twirling fuuma shuriken. The large weapon spun around and was quickly caught by its wielder.

"I knew it was you. Hatake Kakashi, infamous Copy Ninja of Konohagakure." He sneered, folding down the fuuma into two machete like blades.

"I'm flattered." Kakashi drawled.

"It'll be my pleasure to kill you tonight." He snarled and charged, large flat blades each at his side.

Kakashi blocked each rapid thrust with his kunai, sidestepping and landed a harsh kick to his side, effectively throwing off his spinning attacks. But the rogue nin quickly found his footing and bringing his left arm around in front of him, crazily swung his blade in a low arc. Kakashi grabbed his arm and twisting it around and up, heard the satisfied crack of bone and the nin's wretched shriek of pain as his weapon clattered to the pavement.

Blinded by pain and rage, he carelessly swung his other arm only to land face first onto the cold hard ground, upper body arched upward by the sharp threat of his own weapon pressed against his throat. The rogue shinobi could feel the gentle trickle of his own blood slowly travel down his neck, heard the patter of it as it hit concrete with alarming clarity.

"Talk fast."

And he did, word after word tumbling out like smooth flowing water.

Moments after disposing of the three, Kakashi sped over to the darkened doorway and making sure Hikaru was still alive and breathing—letting out a sigh of relief when he was, though barely—once again lifted him over his shoulders and onto his back and set out in search for his cherry blossom of a medic.

* * *

"They got away Dai-sama."

The pale blonde man curled his fists in silent fury. So all along, the prince had been hidden right under his nose. "Did I not tell you to watch the castle grounds closely?"

"W-We did Sir, but he slipped through without our notice." The messenger stuttered, feeling the barely contained rage.

"Obviously not closely enough." Dai bit out scathingly before unsheathing his hidden dagger and running it cleanly through his subordinate's chest.

But luckily he could still salvage the now suddenly precarious situation. Sweeping out of his room he occupied while taking residence in the castle he headed towards Michiru's quarters in the northern part of the castle.

It didn't take long before he arrived in front of the heavy doors and knocking urgently, he waited for the ruler's hurried response. And he didn't have to stand there long because seconds after, a disheveled looking Michiru swung the door wide open, eyes narrowing in concern when he saw his good friend.

"What's the matter Dai?"

Said man put on a panicked expression. "Michiru, the castle's been infiltrated. I don't know what they were after, but after questioning the guards, they said they saw a shinobi escaping while carrying a body. And when asked if the body was still alive, they could give me no answer."

Michiru was instantly overcome with fear, his face paling and it looked like he was about to hurl any minute. He seemed hesitant at first, casting a long glance at Dai and as if finally conceding to some internal debate, brushed past him and motioned for him to follow.

"Is there something you're not telling me Michiru?" Dai asked quietly.

"Hikaru's been hiding in a secret chamber here, to give me more time to decide what to do." He explained as he led them to the east wing and down a narrow stretch of hallway.

"You mean the Prince has been here all this time?" He feigned surprise.

The King nodded and picking up his pace, hurried into the never used study and when he saw the open door to the secret chamber, he felt his heart pause for a painstaking moment before everything came crashing down. "And now the enemy most likely has him." Michiru sagged to the ground, clutching his head in his hands miserably.

"Perhaps saving your son isn't a lost cause Michiru. The scrolls are what they want. Handing them over may save him yet." Dai urged.

He was beyond conflicted and it didn't help that so many lives hung in the balance of his decision. "Will you stay with me till the very end Dai?"

The blonde man knelt down and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Of course Michiru."

* * *

Sakura stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Dark circles colored the pale skin beneath her jade eyes and she didn't look very healthy at the moment. Any minute now, the bright rays of a rising sun would fall through the clear windows of the bakery they were currently using as an HQ of sorts.

About an hour ago she'd gotten word by way of messenger birds from both Kano and Aki about rogue nins and the attacks on both clans. Once they'd secured everything and assured everyone that no more harm would come to pass, they'd meet her back here at the bakery.

But there was still no word from her chronically late copy ninja. Worry and fear were beginning to creep through the edges of her mind. Was Kakashi okay? Had he found Hikaru? What the hell was taking him so long? And did he realize the anxiety he was causing her with his prolonged absence?

Heaving a tired sigh, Sakura splashed some cold water on her face and patted it dry with a small towel that Ami had given her. Well, hopefully he wasn't being attacked by kunai and shuriken cause as much as she hated it, her chakra reserves were close to none right now and she wasn't sure that if he hauled himself in all bloody like she'd be able to fully heal him.

Glancing one last time at the mirror and hating how utterly frail she looked, the cherry blossom walked out of the bathroom only to be given a near heart attack when the door burst open. Sakura, in a blinding flash of movement pulled a kunai from her hip holster and had the deadly point aimed at a black covered throat.

"Mind not pointing sharp things at me right now?" Kakashi asked, a note of urgency in his voice.

Her emerald eyes quickly shifted up to his face and then to the body on his back. "Hikaru…" She breathed, immediately dropping her sharp weapon and helped Kakashi lay him on the bed.

"Are you okay?" Sakura glanced at her former sensei before quickly setting to work on the teen.

"I'm fine, but maybe I should be asking you that." He replied, eyes roaming across her pale face. "You're overdoing it Sakura."

But she didn't want to hear it. "Where'd you find him?" She asked, evading his statement.

He considered pressing the issue with her, making her see that depleting her chakra was so very dangerous but one look at the hard determined lines in her pale face told him to drop it or he'd be at the receiving end of a very hard right hook.

"A hidden room courtesy of a very smart monkey."

"Kiki."

Kakashi nodded.

"You're bleeding." Sakura noticed as she stood and went to grab a bowl of water from the adjoining bathroom.

"Just a flesh wound. He needs you more than I do right now." And he kneeled next to her after she'd returned and looked at the prince fighting for his life.

Sakura began the poison extraction right away and almost instantly she started to feel the effects on her body. "I'll only be able to get some of the poison out. Enough that his life won't be in danger anymore." A shaky breath escaped her lips as she created another watery sphere. "After that, give him the antidote in my pack."

The ball of water filled with the remnants of belladonna wavered and threatened to dissolve in mid air as she unsteadily drew it to another bowl.

"Sakura." Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder, concern coloring his voice.

"Just one more. And then he'll be fine." She murmured, tipping slightly to the side and if it wasn't for Kakashi's firm grip on her shoulder she would've lost her balance entirely.

And pushing the last of her chakra out of her system and into her hands, she extracted another bout of poison from Hikaru's body. Her vision blurred and dimmed a little as she leaned heavily against the Copy-Nin, shallow breaths leaving her lips.

"Don't just sit there Kakashi…my bag…the antidote…"

Sakura promptly drifted into unconsciousness then. Long lashes fluttered to a close and her breath evened out to a slow but steady tempo. Making sure she was alright, Kakashi gently placed her down and grabbed her bag lying against the wall and searched through it. He pulled out a large glass bottle and one of the many packaged syringes and within minutes, he'd injected the antidote into Hikaru's bloodstream.

His shoulder throbbed and he was reminded of his wound. Glancing once more at the two incapacitated individuals, he grabbed a roll of gauze and the bottle of antibacterial ointment that had fallen out of Sakura's pack and began to bandage his wound.

**…**

_"Sakura-chan…"_

"_My little cherry blossom…"_

"_Sakura-san…" _

"_Haruno…" _

"_ANBU…" _

"_Sakura…"_

"_Pink…" _

"_Who are you?" _

"_ANBU shitface." _

"_Come now Pink, that's not what I meant." _

"_Go to hell." _

_And then she was running. Running towards images and shapes and sounds that echoed throughout the all consuming black surrounding her. One more step and Sakura was across the white threshold, skidding to a stop on dirty stone floors decorated with new and old blood. Her blood. Michi's blood. Hideki's blood. All mingling together, swirling beneath her feet and she looked up, suddenly reliving a dark and stormy nightmare._

"_Stop it!" She screamed, running at the bastard ruthlessly thrusting into her captain. _

_But Sakura didn't have a chance as the scene spun out of control and screams and shouts filled the blurring void. _

"_For remembrance…" _

_She looked down to see her hands coated in red. It dripped to the dirt floor now beneath her bare feet and in the second it took for her to blink, her whole body was one bloody mess and Sakura fell to the ground and closed her eyes, not sure if the intense pain she was feeling was real or not and thinking that if she died right now, that would be perfectly fine with her. _

_And when she opened her eyes again, she was staring into malevolent black eyes._

_Akai. _

_She felt his disgusting touch. Wanted to crush every bone in his body. Felt his lips take everything from her. Heard him taunt her for her weaknesses and her helplessness. _

"_I'm going to kill you…" _

"_I'm going to kill you too Pink…" _

"Sakura!" Kakashi worriedly shook her shoulder, trying to get her to wake up from whatever dream she was having.

"Don't touch me!" Her emerald oceans, tumultuous and haunted, had snapped open as those tortured words escaped her lips and she'd scrambled backwards towards the corner of the bed she didn't remember climbing into, not quite sure where she was in that moment. And as reality came into sharp focus, she saw Kakashi and didn't know what to say or what to do.

"I…I didn't—" She shook her head, drawing in ragged breaths and trying to grasp what was real and who she was as the world seemed to crumble around her.

"I understand." He said simply and took a few steps away from the bed. But even though he was still close to her, it seemed like he was miles away. "You've been asleep for most of the day. It'll be nightfall soon."

"And Hikaru?" She whispered.

"Hikaru's recovering." There was a pregnant pause, as if both didn't know what to do or say next. "I'll let you clean up." His soft footsteps created an echoing rhythm on the hardwood floor as he quietly left the room.

Sakura burrowed her head in her shaking arms and knees, seeking some kind of sanctuary, some kind of comfort from the frightening demons that always silently lurked around the dark corners of her mind. And her heart ached for what she'd said to Kakashi, even though she knew that he knew it wasn't intentional, just her and the past still at war with each other.

And she knew that he wouldn't take it to heart, would probably brush it aside like almost everything else. But she still felt terrible about it. Perhaps all this time as an ANBU shinobi hadn't hardened her like she hoped. Sakura drew in another ragged breath, slowly erasing the nightmare and hating to wonder when it would again write itself back into her dreams.

**…**

There was a time when Kakashi didn't have to worry about others. A time when it was just him and him alone and all he had to think about was the next assigned mission, the latest volume of Icha Icha, and what to eat when hunger struck. Those had been the simpler days.

And then everything changed.

Sasuke. Naruto. Sakura. They'd seized his life as if it had always been theirs to have. Charged right in and unknowingly wiggled their way under his skin and admittedly, into his rock hard, locked and bolted heart. Three very different shinobi that held three very different places in his scarred and beat up heart.

As the gray haired jounin paced the rooftop of the bakery, head tucked within the pages of his trusty _Icha Icha_, his thoughts reluctantly strayed to his pink haired former student and the aftereffects of whatever nightmare he woke her from.

But Kakashi could just as easily guess from where her tormented dreams stemmed. It didn't take a neurosurgeon to figure things out, just someone who knew of her past, of her demons. Someone who would recognize the pain, the loss, the loneliness that flickered across her eyes.

Two and a half years ago he, Genma, and Ino had found her practically bathed in her own dark red blood, scarcely breathing, and hardly recognizable in a dirty stone prison with both her teammates dead. He'd entered the room with his control barely intact and with his heart hammering in his chest. He didn't know whether to feel relieved or furious about finding her. All he really knew was that one moment he was standing shock still and the next he was taking off his jounin vest and covering her frail body with it before lifting her into his arms.

The thundering sound of running and frantic footsteps echoed down the hallway and he'd motioned to his two team members to get Sakura's ANBU team down and out, knowing that his former student would never forgive him if he didn't at least save their bodies. As Konoha shinobi, they deserved to be buried at home, not under stone rubble when the bombs went off.

As they traveled the dark hallways and maneuvered their way out of the compound, Kakashi was sick with worry. Sakura's blood had already stained his clothes and hands, dripped to the cold hard ground and her heartbeat seemed to lose its strength, the rhythm becoming duller and frightening slow. She had scared him a few times while they made their hasty escape, causing him to grit his teeth and almost lose his step.

'_Stay with me…'_ He'd whispered into her ear, urging her, pleading with her not to cross that fine line between life and death because he sure as hell wasn't prepared to lose her. Not when he'd just found her.

It was in those moments, in those few and blurry moments filled with nothing but raw feeling that Kakashi had realized that he couldn't always protect her. And even though it stung and her blood on his hands made him want to kill the bastard who did this to her, he couldn't do anything about it except try to make it better, try to make her better.

No, he hadn't been ready to lose his cherry blossom. Didn't think he'd ever be. She was all that he had left of what was once a beautiful though dysfunctional Team Kakashi. She was the only one he would listen to rant about her new ANBU team. The only one he would watch over as she slept in the hospital after coming back close to death from another mission. The only one he would let himself touch, even though it seemed like a sin to do so.

No. Kakashi would never be ready to lose her.

'_Stay with me Sakura…please stay with me…'_ He had repeated it over and over like a mantra, as if those words alone would save her from the ruthless clutches of death.

And when they'd finally landed to safety, he had had a hard time letting her go. Ino, with barely contained tears in her blue eyes had gently pleaded with him to let her close friend go so she could heal what she could while Genma, concern marring his brow and soft spoken, placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and told him that everything would be okay.

If only Genma had been right. If only all three would've believed that everything would be okay. But they all knew that so many things had changed regarding their Sakura. A shinobi couldn't just pick up where they left off after something like this happening. There was just too much emotional scarring to deal with. And of course, he knew all about it. Experienced it firsthand and would never wish losing so much in such a short span of time on anyone. He'd lost much, seen much, but also gained much in his thirty something years of living as a shinobi. No, he wasn't a stranger at all to things of the darker nature.

And as Kakashi perched himself at the edge of the rooftop, looking like a stone statue in the setting sun that painted the sky in bright hues, he couldn't stop the sense of foreboding that gnawed at his insides. So maybe it could've been something he'd eaten earlier, but he highly doubted it. A strange kind of anxiety or maybe anxiousness was creeping through him and Kakashi was never one to ignore his instincts.

"Kakashi! Where are you!?"

Sakura's annoyed voice traveled up to him through the open windows and he couldn't help but smile a little. Though in some ways, she was still the same.

**…**

"Sakura-san…Kakashi-san…" His voice was raspy, had grown raw while the belladonna had coursed through his system.

"We're glad to have you back with us Hikaru." Sakura kneeled down beside the bed, a small smile gracing her lips as the gray haired jounin sent the teen a little wave from behind her.

The prince's eyes shined with hope and with unspoken gratitude. "I knew you'd come."

Sakura's expression softened and hooking her pinky with Hikaru's said, "Friends forever remember? A promise is still a promise, even through all these years."

And it looked like he was about to start crying but boys turning into men didn't cry so Hikaru desperately held back the overwhelming need to release his pent up emotion.

"Hikaru?"

He looked at the pink haired kunoichi, momentarily taking in her appearance and noticing for the first time since they walked into the room how different she looked, how different being in her presence was now compared to then but he couldn't put a name to it. He thought she must've been through a lot to change her so.

"Is Naruto here?" He asked suddenly, almost startling the two ninja.

"He's on another mission." Kakashi replied.

Hikaru nodded understandably. "I see. You wanted to ask me something Sakura-san?"

"I need you tell us all that you know." She said simply, adeptly hiding the sadness that followed every time she heard that name.

The teen's face instantly darkened, overcome by shadows and he looked away from them, eyes staring out of the window.

"They want Moon Country's scrolls. They contain all the secrets of the island, all the clans, the treasures, everything. Before they poisoned me to get to father, I was able to send out Kaze. They didn't know of course." He coughed then, throat parched and sore. Sakura handed him a cup of water for which he was thankful.

"Father hid me in the secret chamber to buy him more time. But I told him no matter what, don't give them the scrolls. I'm not sure if he'll listen to me. Sometimes he can be foolish and not think things through all the way."

"You have to understand his position also Hikaru." Kakashi commented, leaning against the wall. "You're his only son. Right about now he probably thinks the enemy took you or that you're already dead."

Hikaru's eyes widened and he struggled to sit up but Sakura would have not of that.

"You have to rest Prince."

"But—"

She shook her head. "Not this time."

The teen relented, clenching his fists in helplessness. But he knew more, even though it hurt to tell the two shinobi. "It's Oshiro-san." He whispered.

"We're aware of that." Kakashi said.

He'd told Sakura everything the rogue nin had said after coming down from the roof. About Dai and how he'd hired mercenary ninja from all over, promising riches and power if they took care of the Getsugakure shinobi.

"All this time we trusted him. Father's best friend betrayed us, stabbed us in the back once he heard about the Tsuki scrolls." His voice grew louder, more furious by the second. "How could he? We gave him so much and Father even took him in when he got kicked out of his clan. He was…he was like the uncle I never had. How could he do something like this?"

The first bitter taste of betrayal by someone so close was always the worst. It cut deeper, stung harder, was less easier to understand. And as the two ninja looked on, memories of their own dark pasts faded in and out.

"At the end of the day, when everything is said and done, you'd be surprised about who you can trust. About who you thought would forever be there by your side." Sakura imparted quietly to him. "Many are driven by their greed, their lust for power Hikaru. You should know that."

"I know. But the hurt and the hatred is still there."

"Give it time." About to stand up, Sakura was stopped by Hikaru when he grasped her arm.

"You probably don't want to hear it but thank you, to the both of you, for saving my life."

She patted his hand. "Get some more sleep and by the time you wake up, everything will be over."

**…**

Kano descended into the bakery, followed shortly thereafter by Aki holding a white box. The black haired shinobi raised a brow inquiringly at the package, wondering what was inside.

"A very kind old geezer gave it to me. A gesture of gratitude for coming to help the village out he said."

"Do you even know what's in there?" Kano asked.

"Something about buns." Aki shrugged his shoulders and placing the box down, flipped open the cover. "They look pretty good."

He reached in to take one just as Sakura and Kakashi came through the swinging door.

Kano turned towards the pair. "Anything new Captain?"

She looked up and nodded as they made their way towards them. "The prince is here recovering. He should be fine in a few days. And I managed to discover how the poison was being distributed. The foo—"

Sakura stopped mid-sentence when her eyes landed on Aki who was at the moment about to consume a very familiar looking bun filled with poison.

"Don't eat that!" She rushed over and slapped it out of his hand.

"Aiya! If you wanted one you could've just asked! There's a whole bunch in the box right there!" Aki rubbed his hand, glaring at her.

But Sakura didn't care and was too preoccupied grabbing one and tearing it in half, showed the almost imperceptible bits of belladonna mixed with the filling to the other three shinobi. "It's poisoned. That's how it was being given to the village and that's why only certain people were afflicted. Those who ate it were poisoned, those who didn't obviously weren't. The more you ate, the worse the poisoning and the quicker you died."

"And who's going to question the food they eat." Kakashi added thoughtfully, silently applauding his former student. She'd always been the most perceptive, the most intelligent of Team Seven.

Sakura nodded. "Right."

"I could've just died." Aki whispered, turning his glare on the harmless looking food sitting on the table.

"That should teach you not to accept food from a stranger." Kano remarked dryly, shaking his head.

"Who gave this to you?" Sakura asked.

"Some old guy a few blocks down the street. He was standing if front of another shop."

"Find him, we find the poison maker."

But first, she and Kakashi needed to finish putting up the protective seals. They couldn't risk anything happening to Hikaru while they were gone.

**…**

It wasn't too long after that they arrived at the shop Aki mentioned. And it wasn't too long before they found the old man's body. He looked as if he was sleeping peacefully on the ground, no signs of a puncture wound, just that of a thin red line of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Sakura bent down and probed his body, eyes widening when the reason of his clean death hit her.

"Someone ruptured his heart."

Kano furrowed his brows. "How can you do that without an entry wound?"

"A medic-nin skilled enough can." Kakashi answered, his eye never leaving the stiff form of the cherry blossom.

Aki snorted with disbelief. "You can't be serious!?" He turned to his captain. "Don't tell me you can do that Sakura?"

She didn't respond, merely stood up and ran to the back of the shop. A strange sense of dread flooding the pit of her stomach as her breath hitched in her chest.

"Sakura…" The pink haired kunoichi didn't hear her former sensei, didn't pick up on the brief flash of concern streaking along the smooth tone of his voice.

But the back room was empty. The only sign that anyone had been there were the dustings of belladonna on wooden counters and dough halfway finished lying abandoned on floured cutting boards.

And what exactly was she hoping to find? Who was she hoping to catch a glimpse of, if only for the span of a second? Her chest tightened and she suddenly found it hard to breathe.

_'Pink…'_

"Out! Now!" Kano shouted as he and Aki came running towards their captain and the copy ninja.

But she was too busy reliving a memory to react fast enough and soon found herself hauled over a shoulder before a thundering explosion tore through the shop, sending all of them flying to the ground as a heat wave of plaster and fire crashed over them.

Through the smoke and rubble, Sakura could make out a body lying on top of her, acting as her shield. And as the scene cleared, she took off her mask and gently grasped the motionless head lying on her chest and lifted it up for her to look at.

"Kakashi…you stupid idiot." She whispered, wiping away the coat of dust from the part of his face he left revealed and clearing away the bits and pieces of the explosion in his unruly mop of gray hair. "You better be alive."

His eye slowly opened and she could tell by the crinkles around it that he found something amusing in this not so amusing mess they were in.

"And that's the appreciation I get for saving your life Sakura?" He said before falling into a fit of coughing. She pounded on his back, thinking that it was helping but it only served to make his aching body hurt more.

"Sakura?! Kakashi!?" Her teammates' voice called out worriedly over the aftermath.

"Over here!" She yelled out hoarsely, her own sense of worry alleviated immensely at hearing both their voices.

Kakashi slowly picked himself up, shaking all the debris off as he did so and extended a hand to Sakura. She gladly took it, emerald orbs automatically scanning over his body for any type of injury as she was pulled up.

"You're fine?" She asked, poking him here and there. He stopped her oncoming finger by grabbing it and gently let go. "Minus a few flying pieces of plaster to the head, I'd say I'm fine." 

Though a bit reluctant, she conceded. "Thank you." She gave him an appreciative smile before turning around and doing the same thing to her ANBU teammates, making sure that they were okay and sustained no critical injuries.

"I'm beginning to think someone wants us dead." Aki said with a laugh.

"Leave it to you to find the humor in almost getting blown up." Sakura shook her head but even she couldn't stop the small smile from forming on her lips or the small laugh that followed.

Kano raised a brow. "And I'm beginning to think the both of you have sustained head injuries."

"And I'm inclined to agree." Kakashi threaded his fingers through his hair. "But unfortunately, we don't have time to waste. We can't let Oshiro get the scrolls."

Both Kano and Aki stood confused. "Scrolls?"

"We'll brief you two on the way." Sakura said hurriedly as they dusted off the last of the explosion and headed towards the castle.

* * *

Michiru opened the safe hidden behind the headboard of his bed. He stared, hard and intense, at the seemingly innocent looking scrolls. So much death for pieces of parchment he didn't even write, hadn't even glimpsed the contents of. And now Hikaru could be anywhere. He could and most likely was, already dead. How could he continue on without any family? Without his son by his side?

There had been a time when he thought money could solve every problem. And it had taken him losing his father and almost losing his life to realize that although he could buy anything, in the end it all meant absolutely nothing. No amount of jewels, of gold, of priceless artifacts could buy back his son or get him out of this nightmare.

Everything seemed so hopeless. There hadn't been any more contact from Kakashi and he wondered where they were now. Had they put an end to the crisis in his village? Had they stopped everyone from dying? He shook his head. He was so pathetic, so weak and scared of what might happen to him that he couldn't even go out and see for himself what was happening to the people who were relying on him to get them out of this debacle.

He stood there hunched over, debating whether or not it'd be worth it if he simply handed over the five scrolls to the enemy. After all, they had promised to spare his life and what others were left when they got a hold of it. His hand reached further in, barely an inch from the parchment but he abruptly stopped.

'_Whatever you do father, don't give it to them…don't give them the scrolls no matter what…'_

Michiru squeezed his eyes shut. The memory of what Hikaru had said to him before being whisked away to the secret chamber echoed painfully in his head. His son hadn't wanted him to hand them over. Had said, had been a man and said what was his life compared to the countless others that lived in Moon Country. They served the people and what right did they have to throw away so many lives, to put all the habitants of the island in danger because some power obsessed bastards wanted the scrolls?

"I can't…" He whispered, drawing his hand back and made to close the safe and meet his fate when the doors to his personal quarters were blown open and apart.

Michiru shielded his face with his arms, alarm rushing through his system. Before he could even finish swinging the safe door closed and initiating the self-destruct, cold hard metal bit through his robes and pierced his flesh. Knocked to the ground, his body cried out in sharp pain, but he refused to vocalize it.

Footsteps drew nearer with every passing second. Who was he to give up on his country? Who was he to not try harder and maybe, just maybe save all that was still left? Resolve once again firmly in place, Michiru grunted and dragged himself across the small distance separating him and the scrolls and reaching out a bloody hand—

"Tsk tsk Tsuki-sama, I wouldn't do that if I were you."

His body froze, paralyzed by shock and bewilderment. "Dai?"

Michiru was dealt a swift and powerful kick to the gut, causing him to gasp and cough up blood.

The pale blonde man knelt down, a sneer twisting his face. "You didn't think I'd settle for just being your friend and sometimes advisor did you?"

"You?" The king gasped, cold hard fury blazing in his eyes at the realization. "How could you?"

Dai released a merciless laugh. "How could I not?" He knelt down and pressed a razor sharp blade to his face. "Foolish king. Your trust was gained far too easily these past years. Did you honestly believe I wouldn't want more? More power, more money? We are driven by our greed and lust for power Michiru. Knowing that you had the scrolls, how could I resist such a rich temptation?"

The sharp edge of the weapon broke his skin and soon, a thin line of blood trailed the length of his face.

"Bastard! After all we did for you, this is how you repay us? With treachery and lies? You betrayed Moon!" Michiru angrily spat.

Oshiro fisted a hand into the collar of his robes, face contorted in rage. "My treachery and lies will get me everything I've ever desired! Tell me Tsuki, where has your justice and righteousness gotten you? A dead son and a poisoned village Michiru! You've lost everything!" Dai drove the kunai into his middle, smiling at the satisfying gasp of pain that tore through his once and former friend.

"The ANBU are here Dai-sama! We should hurry and escape!"

"My thanks Michiru." He sneered victoriously and grabbed the scrolls from the safe before sweeping out of the room.

* * *

They entered the castle from all different directions. _Find Michiru and the scrolls_. Of course nothing was made simple for them. When they arrived, everything was in chaos. Getsugakure ninja and castle guards were locked in fierce battle with hired rogue nin and traitors.

Sakura weaved her way through fighting bodies after entering through the north end of the castle. She'd sent Kano to enter through the west end and Aki through the south, Kakashi taking the east since he already knew his way around. But with her chakra still low, she didn't want to risk what little had returned through her short-lived rest. Michiru could be hurt or maybe even dying so she needed to conserve every little shred.

The pink haired kunoichi ducked to avoid a large sword swing intended for a castle guard to her right. A sudden explosion sounded further ahead, immediately followed by shouts of 'Tsuki-sama is in danger!' The mood of the fight suddenly shifted and it seemed it was everyone's intent to get to the where the explosion occurred.

Her mask firmly in place, she maneuvered through the throng of sweaty bodies soundlessly, nothing but a blur to their distracted eyes. Sakura made it to the room with little difficulty just moments after she saw two men run out, one with scrolls carried by bloodied hands. She felt her chest constrict with indecision.

But when it came down to it, she wasted no more time in entering the room and her jade eyes quickly fell on the panting king lying on the floor.

"Michiru-san!" She ran over to him, taking in the damage.

"S-Sakura?" He wheezed, blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth.

The ANBU captain nodded weakly and quickly set to work. "On three. One, two, three." As the last number left her lips, she smoothly pulled out the kunai embedded in his mid-section.

Michiru gasped in mind-numbing pain, his face red with exertion and his vision swimming with stars. It hurt to even breathe and he was forced to take in quick shallow breaths, trying to keep the excruciating pain at bay.

"You're lucky none of your vital organs were punctured." Sakura said, feeling the beads of sweat sliding down her face behind her ANBU mask. "But don't worry Michiru-san, you're going to be fine."

Sakura commenced the healing, letting her chakra bleed into the wound and slowly stitch it back together. After that was done, she started on the other numerous slashes on his body, letting a sigh of satisfaction escape after the healing was complete.

She felt Kano's chakra signature enter the room then and in one smooth motion, stood up and faced him. "Make sure nothing else happens to him."

"And where are you going?"

"After Dai and the scrolls he's taken." Sakura said as she passed him and followed Oshiro's trail.

* * *

Kakashi's hands flew through a series of seals. A whole hoard of rogue ninja had descended upon him, effectively cutting off his search for Michiru and the scrolls. And as they screamed and shouted while they were caught in the genjutsu, flailing their arms and legs as their limbs turned into black inky masses and slowly disintegrated before their very eyes, Kakashi quickly released a barrage of shuriken, taking them down and preparing for the others that were left behind them.

He dodged a chain of metal spikes enhanced with chakra, but couldn't get out of the way fast enough to evade the almost unnoticeable hari. The sharp needles hit his left shoulder, embedding themselves deep into his flesh and ruining the wonderful bandaged work he'd done earlier. The chain came back around, hoping to bind him and bite deep into his body but he was able to deflect them with a rapidly formed jutsu, a wall of solid packed earth erupting in front of him. The metal weapon wrapped around that instead and while the rogue nin tried to regain his weapon, Kakashi used that time to scale the wall and descended onto the metal chain, dashing along it and towards the panicked mercenary. Kakashi slit his throat in a heartbeat, pouncing off his falling chest like a graceful feline.

Aki veered around a corner, at a complete loss as to where he was. He'd heard an explosion and following his gut instinct, was heading towards the loud boom which seemed to come from the north end of the castle. He suddenly jumped out of the way of an oncoming katana strike, his blue violet eyes glowing behind his ANBU mask.

Another clumsy swing from the ninja and Aki easily disarmed him, sending a swift kick to his stomach that had him doubling over and a dagger hilt to the base of his skull that knocked the rogue unconscious. His head swiveled to the left and he caught sight of gray hair, almost positive that it was Hatake.

And if he hadn't been an expert ANBU shinobi, he would've been dead in that instant, but he was so he managed to dodge at the last second a wakizashi aimed to decapitate his pretty little head. He watched as the enemy pulled out a katana and with both long and short sword poised, came running at him with a loud yell of adrenaline.

Aki twirled his daggers and crossed his arms in defense as the rogue nin landed blow after blow, igniting sparks when their blades kissed. Another explosion from the north end rocked the castle and a hint of worry worked its way across his brow. In a hurry to finish the fight, Aki landed a kick to his knee, causing the ninja to lose his balance and awkwardly strike out with his katana. He slid his dagger along the inside edge of the longer blade until he got to the hilt and with a deft flick of his shorter blade, cut through the veins of the mercenary's wrist, causing him to hiss in agony and drop his sword.

But a razor sharp pain igniting in Aki's right side told him of his split second opening and he quickly looked down to see the wakizashi gliding out of his skin. A sickening laugh met his ears before he kicked up the katana lying at his feet and catching it, swiftly turned around and cut off the rogue nin's head in one fluid swing, sending an arching spray of blood to the floor.

Aki heard footsteps behind him and spinning on his heel, he brandished his daggers in defense before breathing a sigh of relief.

"Kakashi." He winced in pain, hand immediately going to his right side where his blood was slowly staining his ANBU uniform.

"I don't suppose you were heading towards the north end of the castle?" Aki inquired, applying more pressure to his wound. He noticed that the copy-nin sported a few of his own also.

Kakashi nodded. "You'll be able to make it?"

"I've handled worse."

And it wasn't long before they were dashing through another set of hallways, getting closer and closer to the northern section of the castle.

* * *

His hidden blade entered through the messenger's chest. "You're no longer needed."

Leaving the dead body with not so much as a backwards glance, Dai entered the courtyard, making his way towards the back gate where a carriage waited for him to take him to the shore. He gripped the scrolls as if his life depended on it, excitement welling up as a mad gleam entered his eyes. Moon Country would be under his control soon enough. People would bow down to him. The Oshiro clan would regret the day they threw him out and he'd make them beg, make them plead for their lives.

As he passed the pond where koi swam, glimmering in the moonlight, he felt an acute pain in his shoulder, followed by another in his right leg. He didn't think much of it. That was until he took a step and found himself falling to the ground. His leg was beginning to go numb and as his right arm fell limply to his side, he watched the five Tsuki scrolls scatter onto the grass before him.

"Oshiro-san, you honestly didn't think I'd let you leave without letting you know my price did you?"

Black booted feet came into his line of vision before he was forcefully pulled up to stare into malevolent onyx eyes. They were deep black pools, betraying nothing and matching perfectly with his braided midnight hair. He exuded sinister intent and the pale blonde man had to wonder if he was the devil himself disguised.

"I-I was just coming to see you!" Dai stuttered, a sliver of fear curling around his spine as he tried to maintain his composure in the face of the asset he'd hired.

A distasteful sneer crossed his lips. "Lies will get you nowhere Oshiro-san."

"Your price?! What do you want?!" He was getting frantic now, his nerves on end. Dai glanced behind him, afraid the ANBU would catch up but at the same time, afraid this man before him would ask something of him he did not have.

He dropped the fool, knowing full well that the senbon he shot at him would allow him no escape. "There are foreign ANBU here Oshiro-san. Where are they from?"

"I don't know!"

A kunai shot into the palm of his hand, pinning it to the ground. "I believe you do. I'm sure being such close friends with the king allowed for some divulgence."

Dai shot through his fumbled thoughts, searching and searching for anything that related to the issue the asset seemed so curious about. "Suna…no…he said something about a past mission a few years ago…something about the same ninjas…I don't know!" He shook his head, wracking his brain and sweating profusely.

Another kunai. This time to his left shoulder.

"Think harder Oshiro-san. Time is of the essence." He said casually.

Dai was close to hysterics now. The pain was messing with his head and he couldn't feel the right side of his body. He registered a third explosion from the castle and suddenly he caught the little bit of information he was so desperately seeking. "Fire Country! Konohagakure! They're Leaf ANBU!"

"Ah, very good Oshiro-san." He bent down and ripped the kunai out from the center of Dai's palm, reveling in the shriek he emitted.

Retrieving the Tsuki scrolls, he loomed above the sickly pale man who clutched his bleeding hand to his chest. "All this for a couple of scrolls?"

"Please, spare me and you'll have all the riches and power you want!" Dai pleaded, grabbing onto the man's pant leg with bloodied hands, fingers inching towards the pieces of rolled up parchment he'd worked so hard to attain.

But he only smiled. Dark and malicious and cruelly handsome. "I'm afraid Oshiro-san that you don't have what I want."

He placed a hand on Dai's chest, letting his dark chakra flow with deadly accuracy into the tiny pores of his skin and with a simple squeeze of his hand, his chakra wrapped around his heart like a vice and ruptured it.

Sakura ran. Heart beating an erratic rhythm, she followed the path of slightly crumpled grass. A cold shiver shot down her back and she _knew._ Only he had that kind of chakra signature. Only he could make a white hot fury rush through her, consuming her every thought and movement.

It was him.

"Akai."

As the moonlight and the neon stars shined down upon them, she watched him gracefully stand up and face her, scrolls in hand and looking as composed as ever even when there was a dead body at his feet.

"It's been a long time Pink." He mused, dark eyes greedily drinking in the object of his obsession for so long now. She was the one that got away. The one he wanted, the one he desired and dreamt about countless nights.

She never took her jade eyes off him. He was still the same. Still sadistically the same and as she stared at him, her heart broke all over again, memories faded in with startling clarity, and she barely suppressed the rapid flow of absolute hatred and disgust.

He took a step forward and Sakura unsheathed her ninjaken in one swift and fluid motion.

"I promised that I'd kill you."

Akai chuckled darkly. "I've missed you too Pink." He took another step forward and she dashed at him, her blade glinting in the light of the moon and glowing with pure killing intent.

He dropped the scrolls and from his back he pulled out two kodachi from their sheaths and easily blocked her attack, applying pressure onto her ninjaken and making her bend backwards with the force of it. Her leg shot out and almost hit him in the gut but he jumped away, a smirk curving his mouth.

"I must congratulate you on saving the villagers. It was a pleasant surprise to hear talk of a beautiful pink haired ANBU kunoichi with the healing touch."

"Cut the crap Akai." Sakura didn't want to hear his voice. She just wanted to make him bleed and suffer. She charged him again, more aggressively and without any inhibitions.

Sparks flew as their blades collided with each other. Left, right, Sakura met him blow for blow, parrying his attacks like everything was a smooth gliding dance. She flipped backwards and propelled herself upwards, descending on him with blinding speed but he disappeared, appearing right behind her in mid-air and quickly pulled her body to him, tearing off her mask in the process.

"Your emotions are ruling you Pink." He whispered into her ear and smiled when he drove a kodachi into her middle and all he heard was a 'poof' and all he held was empty air and floating cherry blossoms.

Sakura materialized on top of him, sending a chakra induced punch into his face and wasn't surprised to discover that he too had created a clone of himself. She landed on the grass, faltering just a little bit.

"And your chakra is low." Akai tsked behind her and she spun around, blocking a strike with her right arm guard just in time and delivered a hard punch to his middle, causing him to fly back. He landed on his feet though, wiping at the small dribble of blood trailing down the corner of his mouth.

"You're quite the spitfire, much more of one than your dead captain."

"Don't you even dare!" Sakura hissed, determined to see his cruelly handsome face smashed in.

She flew at him again, righteous fury blinding her rationality as she lashed out at him, her ninjaken strikes heavy and angry. Too caught up in her thirst for vengeance, she didn't notice the senbon hidden on the hilt of his kodachi until he had released them and driven several through the fabric of her black pants and into the outside of her thigh.

Sakura instantly felt her leg go numb and from the holster on her side, she drew out a few shuriken and expelled them. But he easily deflected the spinning metal and before she knew it, he was on her, twisting her arm behind her and grabbing her hair, pulling her head back. She stared at him with undisguised hatred.

"That's right Pink, continue to hate me and loathe me. Let it fill your heart with darkness and eat up your soul." No longer able to resist the temptation of having her so near, he ran his tongue up the side of her face and inhaled her intoxicating scent.

She struggled against him, spat in his face just like those few years ago in that stone prison coated in blood. He roughly grabbed her chin, reveling in the soft feel of her skin.

"I killed him for you and the scrolls are yours to take back."

"Why?"

Akai shrugged. "My price was his life. I am dictated by no one Pink. The poison of the village was just fun and games. But you, you were an added bonus." He let his lips softly graze hers, still holding her face captive with his strong grip.

"You killed my team, tortured me, why not kill me now?" She asked, venom dripping from every word.

He smiled that cruelly handsome smile again. "Because I want to kill you when you're at your best. It'll make it that much more sweeter."

He let some of his chakra flow into her body, let it sting and taint her, give her a taste of what he'd do to her when he finally did kill her. But she refused to give in, wouldn't let him play with her any longer and with one last burst of her own chakra, dispelled his from her body, watching it disintegrate between them.

"You never cease to amaze me Pink." He murmured, black eyes overcome with wanton lust and a twisted sense of fascination.

But the rush of running footsteps approaching caused him to release a regretful sigh. And she knew that she wouldn't be able to end this tonight, knew and despised the fact that he would once again vanish and she'd be left with nothing but an empty heart wishing for his blood, his death by her hand and her hand alone.

Akai inhaled her scent once more before driving two more senbon into her exposed neck. "Not yet Pink. But soon my lovely cherry blossom from Konoha…soon…"

And her world dimmed all around her, was submerged by the blackest black and a mind numbing fear. It echoed with his voice, bounced off the walls of her heart and soul with a promise of what was to come because now…_now he knew_…

It was only moments after that her three teammates found her unconscious, lying on the grass illuminated by the moonlight with senbon half way buried into her creamy flesh. Oshiro's dead body was about twenty feet away from her. Just what the hell had happened they didn't know, but worry blossomed in their chests and curiosity plagued them like a disease.

"Is she going to be okay?" Aki asked the copy nin.

He paused in the middle of lifting her limp body and nodded. "She'll be fine."

"And the scrolls?" Kano had gathered them up and was now looking at them accusingly, as if they carried some sort of curse.

"Bring them to Michiru." Kakashi said simply.

Let him decide what he wanted to do with them. They'd completed the mission. Though it didn't feel like much of a success at all.

* * *

Fire Country had always been beautiful in the autumn. But today, as the early morning sun filtered through the trees and red and orange leaves fell lazily to the ground, it seemed alive, maybe excited somehow.

The gates of Konoha, which earlier had been nothing but a dark speck, loomed a few miles ahead of them, beckoning and welcoming.

"Damn it, will you hurry it up?!"

"Hn."

"We're almost there Sasuke-teme so stop admiring the leaves and pick up the pace!"

"Dobe." But he decided to indulge his blonde friend and walked just a little bit faster.

After five long years, they were finally home.

**…_to be continued…_**

**A/N: I think I got carried away with this chapter. It absolutely refused to end. And yes, they're back. I hope that answered that one big lingering question.**

_-hasu86_


	10. Blue

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

**-I was asked to put in a timeline of sorts for the chapters, to give a better sense of the time flow. So here goes and forgive the lengthy outline. **

**Chapters 1- 3 are the present. Sakura and her team having just returned after six months from a mission. It's currently early autumn in Fire Country. Chapter 4 is a throwback to two and a half years ago, when Sakura lost her first ANBU team. She was 20 going on 21 at the time. Ch. 5, back to the present, about a week's passed since they've gotten back until they're suddenly given the mission. Ch. 6, takes them about a day or so to get to Getsugakure. Ch. 7-9, four days have elapsed. At the end of 9 though, when I introduce Sasuke and Naruto, that's a few days after they've completed the mission in Moon. So all in all, a week in Konoha, and about a week so far in Getsugakure (they haven't left yet). **

**I hope that clears up the time issue and my apologies for being vague!**

* * *

**Fade In**

_Chapter Ten – Blue_

* * *

Red painted nails thrummed along the heavy oak desk as Tsunade leveled an unreadable look on the two shinobi in front of her. She then proceeded to pour a cup of the gooey and odorous brew Shizune had concocted for mornings when she was still feeling the aftereffects of too much alcohol. She downed it soon after before gracefully standing up and crossing her arms over her ample chest.

"Uzumaki Naruto. Uchiha Sasuke." She said in her no nonsense tone of voice.

They straightened a little more, unsure of what to expect from the Hokage. The blonde shifted, tiny nervous pinpricks tickling his spine.

Tsunade almost smirked and she would've if it hadn't been for the massive hangover threatening to make her head combust. Just what she needed too, the unexpected return of two of Konoha's most talented shinobi along with the endless amounts of paperwork already piling up on her desk and more that were sure to come.

"Baa-chan…you feeling alright?" Naruto ventured, almost afraid of the response.

"Shut up Uzumaki, your voice is making it worse." She rubbed her left temple, trying to ease away the sharp pain.

He went sulkily silent. A hug would've been nice.

"I'll be placing you two back on the active duty roster then." The Godaime stated firmly.

They both nodded, anticipation already starting to blossom.

"Welcome back to Konoha. And as we agreed before you two left, I expect both of your reports detailing what you've been up to, the places you visited and so on on my desk by tomorrow morning. Now get out of my office."

Naruto looked aghast. "That's it?! No hug? No 'I missed you two while you were gone!?'"

Tsunade sighed and pointed a finger to her face. "This is me becoming irritated. Now get your asses out of my office, get settled in, say hello to the people you left five years ago and then come talk to me about missions and no, you're not getting a hug."

Naruto grumbled and Sasuke remained as stoic as ever, if not a little annoyed at his friend's attempts to get affection. "Alright, alright baa-chan. We're going!"

But before they closed the door behind them, Tsunade stopped out. "Did you two find what you were looking for?"

Naruto threw a grin over his shoulder. "Yeah."

"But there was something missing." Sasuke replied with a wayward afterthought.

"And that was?" She prodded, genuinely curious.

"Konoha." They answered together and with a happy good-bye wave from the blonde, shut the door behind them.

And Tsunade, try as she might, couldn't stop the slight smile from lifting her lips. She quietly wondered how everyone was going to take their unexpected return. After such a long time, many had doubted Naruto and Sasuke would come back to Konoha at all. Many had given up that hope, had tossed it away and began to regard the two as a memory every so often reminisced about, wondered about but rarely ever talked about.

There were sure to be a flurry of different emotions and she'd be surprised if news of their return hadn't already spread across the village. Surprise. Happiness. Anger. Apathy. Regret. Spite. Complete. Different reactions from different people.

But Naruto and Sasuke were two of Konoha's strongest ninja and she couldn't…wouldn't deny the fact that to have them back would prove to be an immense asset to the village. It was just….just that…well…

Tsunade rubbed her temples and cursed all the paperwork mounting her desk. She just hoped there wouldn't be any toppled buildings and giant holes and cracks in the streets any time soon. And if there was anyone listening because Kami knew how her luck was always shot to hell, she prayed there wouldn't ever be.

* * *

"Forehead…" Ino sighed, discontented that her pink-haired friend, so soon after her return from a six-month mission, was once again gone.

She sat, waiting and wistfully reminiscing, in a quaint little teahouse down the street from her parents' flower shop. Looking out of the window beside her, Ino watched the villagers and occasional shinobi shuffle by in the mid-morning sun, going about their routines, going to wherever they needed to be.

"Why the long face?"

The beautiful blonde turned around and saw her senbon chewing lover and soon to be husband, felt his arms wrap around her in a warm embrace, smiled when his rough but tender hands lovingly caressed the swell of her belly before taking the seat in front of her.

"Just thinking." She replied quietly.

"About?" Genma took the small cup she offered and placed it on the cherry wood table.

"Sakura." Her shoulders slumped a little bit.

He leaned into a palm, his free hand grasping hers reassuringly. "You know she's probably the last person you need to worry about. Hatake's with her anyway and her ANBU team aren't exactly pushovers either."

"I know, but still. Forehead said she'd be here for me and I kind of miss her. I can't walk that long anymore and my feet Genma! I can't even see my feet!" She cried dismally.

He hid a laugh only to receive a blue glare from her.

"It's not funny pervert!"

"Hey, I'm a reformed pervert." He corrected. "Isn't that supposed to happen to beautiful pregnant women anyway?"

Ino let a small smile curve her lips. "You think I'm beautiful even carrying an extra twenty or so pounds?"

Genma rolled his eyes at her insecurities. "Dearest, I think you're beautiful no matter what, especially when you're pregnant and naked." He said as he flicked her brow, a wolfish grin turning the corners of his mouth.

Ino smacked him on the hand which only made him chuckle.

"All that aside, you won't believe what I heard today love."

Now normally, she was up to date on all the gossip happening in the village but sadly, she had fallen behind these past few days after being bed ridden. Ino was just itching for new news. "What?" She asked excitedly.

The senbon wielder paused for dramatic effect and then continued quickly after another death glare. "Naruto and Sasuke are back."

Her mouth opened and then closed with an audible snap as she let what Genma had just told her sink in. She had been expecting something big, but not _that_ big. Maybe something like Temari being pregnant so now Shikamaru couldn't slack off anymore (which he'd definitely find troublesome) or even something along the lines of who rolled in half dead this morning from missons, but not that.

"So, is that a good quiet or a bad quiet?" Genma asked, raising a brow.

Ino didn't respond, just sat there in silent contemplation as her eyes unseeingly gazed out the window. After five long years they were finally back in Konoha. And without warning, a strange kind of anger began to well up in her chest and she didn't really understand it. Shouldn't she be happy? They'd all grown up together. Well kind of, in an odd and jumbled sort of way, but they were all once chuunin together, fought with and against each other at some point.

And then she saw them, mingling with the surprised and curious villagers and ninja, weaving their way through the collection of bodies and suddenly she knew _why_, why she wasn't happy about hearing their names.

Ino abruptly stood up, almost knocking her chair over and blue eyes darkening, she headed for the door of the quaint little teahouse.

"Ino! Where are you going?!" Genma quickly followed his pregnant lover into the sun, concern and confusion marring his brow. If he'd known this was how she was going to react, he wouldn't have said anything at all. Just what the hell had gotten into her?

She pushed past those who were in her way, made a path through open gaps and ever closer towards the two unsuspecting shinobi steadily walking up ahead. So what if she couldn't walk as fast anymore? She was pregnant, not crippled damn it and they would get a piece of her mind one way or another!

"Ino!" Genma grasped her arm and pulled her to him. "What the hell's wrong with you?!"

She struggled against his hold. "Let go of me Genma. I'm gonna shove my foot up their asses!"

He looked baffled for a second before following the direction of her gaze and then everything clicked, fell together like the fine pieces of a puzzle and he understood the source of her sudden anger. "Dearest, you're pregnant so you really have to be more careful."

"Naruto! Sasuke!" Ino yelled, completely disregarding him and Genma had to wince at the high pitch and the unwanted attention it drew from the surrounding people. Well, so much for a quiet lunch in a quaint little teahouse.

They spun around, Naruto cocking his head to the side before his eyes widened. "Ino! Genma!"

He laughed and quickly backtracked, Sasuke following nonchalantly as he took in the sight of the pregnant blonde, who if he remembered correctly had been completely infatuated with him ages ago when they were all still genin. He noted the closeness of the chuunin proctor behind her and deduced that he was most likely the father of her unborn child. Things had really changed while they'd been away he absently thought right before a hard slap sounded to his left and his hand shot up to block a blow from a feminine hand.

He narrowed his dark eyes, annoyed and a bit surprised that she would try to hit him. "I don't appreciate being struck at for no reason." He calmly told the couple.

Genma quickly plucked her hand from Sasuke's hold and sighed, gently restraining her. "Sorry about that." He then sent death glares to all the spectators, silently warning them that if they didn't get a move on, he'd be more than happy to help them.

Naruto rubbed his cheek, trying to rid himself of the sharp pain and looked at the blonde, a mixture of confusion and shock coloring his ocean blue eyes. "Oi, what was that for?"

But she was on the verge of tears, her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides as she tried to get control of her temper. "It's all your fault! If-if your two had just been there…"

Her voice cracked, broke a little as a tear escaped. "She would've been fine, wouldn't have had to hurt so much and been alone…"

She swiped at her eyes angrily. "You bastards left her! Didn't even fucking say goodbye!" Ino tried to smack them again but Genma gripped her tightly.

"That's enough Ino." He said, voice hard as he fought back all the memories her words incited.

Sasuke mirrored his friend's baffled expression, not all together sure of what was happening and what they were being accused of.

"What are you talking about Ino?" Naruto asked, just about ready to grab her and shake some sense out of her. He then looked at Genma, hoping he could, at the very least, supply some answers.

"She wouldn't have had to go through all that alone…losing so much…" Ino whispered, though it seemed more to herself than to anyone else. She hugged herself and burrowed deeper into her lover's embrace.

"But…but… Naruto…Sasuke…you weren't there…not when everything came crashing down…"

And like a dark and heavy cloak, she was shrouded in a deep sort of melancholy, vision still blurred by salty moisture and what happened two and a half years ago playing over and over like a broken record in her mind. Turning around stiffly, Ino didn't spare them another glance as she slowly began to walk away, almost mechanically, her body and soul, caught in the web of painful memories, too tired and drained to do anything more.

"Shiranui."

He glanced at the dark haired Uchiha over his shoulder. "Don't tell me you two expected hugs and kisses from everyone." He released a wistful sigh before shaking his head. "Things change. _People_ change. You of all people should know that Sasuke. But everything aside, welcome back you two." Genma gave them a small smile before spinning around and catching up to Ino.

They watched them disappear into the crowd, Naruto running his fingers through his thick blonde hair in frustration. "I still don't get what she was talking about, but I feel guilty somehow." He confessed.

But Sasuke knew, or at least he was pretty sure why the Yamanaka woman had been angry with them and admittedly, he too was feeling that pang of guilt, that small thread of regret that weaved through and around his heart, made it constrict a little. He turned around and continued in the direction of their apartment building.

"Sakura. She was talking about Sakura dobe."

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto furrowed his brows as he fell in step with the Sharingan user.

And he replayed everything Ino had said, ran it through his head until his shoulders slumped and he understood, at least as much as he could. His face fell, saddened and pain-laced, regretful and guilty. Somewhere along the way, they had made a wrong turn and for the first time, Naruto realized how insensitive and selfish they'd been. Realized that they could've handled their departure five years ago so much better if they hadn't been in such a rush to leave Konoha and experience what life was outside the village gates.

And he wondered what had happened to their cherry blossom while they were gone. What she'd been through for the pregnant blonde to defend her so, driven to tears and to anger and scary violent tendencies. What exactly had happened? Certainly nothing drastic, Naruto thought, trying to convince himself. But truth be told, he wasn't so certain of what to expect after what Ino had said, however vague and broken it was. And Naruto hoped with a fierce hope that she hadn't changed, was still the same bubbly and caring girl from their teenage years because that was who Sakura was. She loved freely and gave freely. A trait of hers that he now realized, as a man who had seen much and experienced much within the years they'd been away from Konoha, both he and Sasuke had taken for granted.

"We fucked up big with her didn't we?"

Sasuke's fist tightened. "Aa."

"We'll fix it teme. We'll visit her, hug her, say sorry for being pricks, make everything okay again." Naruto affirmed, determination set in the lines of his handsome face.

But things were always easier said than done, were always more complicated than expected, if not seemingly impossible and hopeless at times. But damn it all to hell, they'd _make_ everything right again cause that's what Naruto did, what he was good at besides making thousands of shadow clones and beating the shit out of the bad guys. And he'd drag Sasuke along with him cause even though the bastard didn't show it too much on his face, he could see it, that same desire to set things right, set things straight and true and how they used to be.

They both assumed Sakura would be at the hospital doing some kind of complicated surgery or patching up a head wound. So, they decided that right after they dropped off their travel worn packs, they would head there immediately and undo the damage that they had foolishly caused. Maybe if she was willing, they would then have dinner together and even try to track down their former sensei and drag him along too. They would catch up like old friends often did, talk about their adventures and what had happened in the past five years. And they would laugh and tease and as the night wore on, everything…everything would be okay again.

* * *

"I blew up didn't I?"

Genma chuckled, placing an affectionate kiss upon her brow. "Maybe just a little bit."

Ino sighed, resting her forehead on his shoulder as they sat on the couch in their apartment. "I just…I just couldn't help it you know. When I saw them, I couldn't stem the flow of anger towards them. I always thought that had they never left, Sakura would never have joined ANBU and then she wouldn't have nearly died in my arms as I tried to heal her in that forest. I was so scared that night I could hardly breathe."

"You weren't the only one dearest." He recalled his own sense of panic but most distinctly Genma remembered Kakashi and how he basically had to pry Sakura's tortured body from his bloody fingers. The senbon chewer was almost afraid at one point when he thought his friend was going to use the Sharingan on him. It'd been a first for him to see Kakashi so torn and unstable, a vast difference from his normally lackadaisical and porn reading self.

"And maybe…maybe she'd be just as pregnant like me right now, like with Lee's kid or something," She laughed through her sniffling and tears at the thought as she continued. "And not an elite ANBU captain who I rarely get to see."

"You know, things don't always turn out how we want them to. And when they don't, we just keep breathing Ino."

"It's not fair. They don't deserve to be in her life anymore, not after just throwing it away like they did."

"That's not a decision for you to make. They're back, what're gonna do about it besides what you've already done? You did give them one hell of a rude welcome back though." He said, laughing softly as he ran his calloused fingers through her hair and tried to keep from getting even more snot and tears on his shirt. He could feel the patch of moisture already as she used his clothes as one big giant tissue.

"They had it coming." Ino defended, blowing her nose into the sleeve of his shirt.

"Now that was just gross."

They laughed together as the blue-eyed blonde swatted his arm. Noticing that she wasn't as melancholic as before, Genma cupped her face lovingly. "You shouldn't blame them so much. We've all made our fair share of mistakes, wrong turns and things like that. And need I remind you? That mission was classified. You don't have the right to go telling them what happened two and a half years ago in Lightening Country." He chided.

She sagged a little. "I kinda forgot about that."

He smiled, glad that she was feeling better cause dealing with a more emotional than usual Ino was never very pretty. "Have a little more faith in Sakura. We both know from experience that she'll make it through okay, which is probably more than I can say for Naruto and Sasuke though."

"I hope she beats the shit out of them." She muttered darkly.

Genma shook his head but he had to agree. It'd be interesting to see how she took their return to Konoha and no doubt entertaining to see the pink haired ANBU captain rough them up a bit, maybe pound them into the ground or through a couple of trees. Hell, that woman was no joke when it came to sparring. He'd been sore all over and limping for a week after 'proving that he was man enough to date her best friend'. _Stupid male pride_.

Ino stretched, her hand going to her lower back in slight pain.

"Come on, I'll draw a hot bath and then you can join me." He smirked devilishly.

"Pervert." She rolled her eyes as he helped her off the couch and then met his lips. "But you're my pervert."

Genma chuckled and bent down, kissing the swell of her belly. "Did you hear that? Your chichi-ue's a pervert, but a very lovable one."

Ino laughed and grasped his offered hand, pushing past the unwanted memories of dark prisons and dying friends coated in red and all the anger and the fear. And she breathed and kept on breathing, feeling lighter and understanding a little bit more.

'_Forehead…no matter what I'll always be here if you need me…'_

…_to be continued…_

**A/N: I love Genma and few give him the love he deserves. Just my way of appeasing my inner senbon chewing pervert fan girl. Massive thanks to all those who read and to those who take the time to leave me such sweet reviews! **

_-hasu86_


	11. Break

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Fade In**

_Chapter Eleven – Break_

* * *

"A-ANBU?!"

Shikamaru and Neji took in Naruto's shock with relative blandness. When the two had walked through the doors of the hospital, both he and the Hyuuga had been surprised but were left wondering if they were seeing things, as they had both sustained head injuries during the mission they'd just returned from.

However, all doubts were dashed when the blonde, upon sighting them, ran over to greet them again after five long years with the Uchiha trailing behind. Though older, Uzumaki Naruto's attitude was still very much the same and Sasuke was a bit more talkative, though not by much, but hell, it was a considerable improvement. But it was nice to know they hadn't died or been maimed during their travels.

"This is a hospital Naruto, might want to lower your voice a little bit." Shikamaru advised, seeing the piercing looks the receptionists were throwing their way.

"When?" Sasuke asked, trying to hide his own surprise but didn't quite manage the feat.

"About three years ago." The Hyuuga heir replied nonchalantly.

"But…" Naruto didn't know what to say, was rendered speechless at the impossibility of it all.

"Two years after you left, she tried for ANBU and made it. She's a captain now." Shikamaru clarified for the two stunned shinobi, drawing in a small sort of amusement at their expense.

Naruto fell into the unoccupied seat beside the shadow user. "Sakura's an ANBU captain…" He whispered in awe.

Sasuke paced a little ways away, running a hand through his dark locks. She was supposed to be here saving people not on S-class missions where her life was in potential danger! He then wondered why he was reacting the way he was, why his gut was clenching and why he was suddenly irritated.

Sakura was an ANBU captain.

Had he really expected her to wait for them?

_Yes. Just like she always did. _

Just then Shizune walked through the swinging double doors and stopped in front of Shikamaru and Neji, but her eyes strayed to the other two ninja.

"Naruto, Sasuke, it's good to have the both of you back."

"Hey Shizune." Naruto responded, but his mind lay elsewhere. Sasuke simply nodded, too wrapped up in his own thoughts to voice much of anything.

She stared questioningly at them for a moment, a little curious about what had them so preoccupied that they couldn't even give a decent greeting, but then she remembered the reasons why she was out here in the first place and leveled a glare at her intended targets. "It's nice to finally see you two in here for once. Grew tired of trying to hide from my medics?"

"It got troublesome." Shikamaru stood up, his vision going a bit blurry and his axis tipping a little to the left.

"Right." Shizune drawled and shook her head. She wrapped an arm around the taller ninja and then helped Neji up who was sporting a few broken ribs and a head injury, very similar to his teammate's but less severe.

Neji gave Naruto and Sasuke one last look over his shoulder before pausing and letting the words slip from his mouth. "She did well without the both of you."

They turned towards the Byakugan user and a rueful smile crossed Naruto's lips. "I guess she did."

Shikamaru threw them a lazy wave as Shizune helped them along. "See you around Uzumaki, Uchiha." And it wasn't long after that they disappeared through the swinging doors.

It seemed like forever before either one said anything, but even then they couldn't really find the right words. So they settled on simply remaining silent for the time being as everything sunk in. But the fact that they had been deluding themselves all along, keeping alive the false hope that Sakura would be here at the hospital because they couldn't picture her anywhere else wasn't lost on them. It made them feel incredibly stupid and it made their hearts twist in guilt and shame.

They had honestly believed and automatically assumed that she had chosen a life dedicating her medic skills to the hospital. Here she would be safe, out of harm's way and saving lives, things they had always thought she'd choose over taking missions. Did they really have such little faith in her that discovering she was now an ANBU captain was leaving them both in a state of shock and disbelief? Why was it so hard for them to believe and accept that she was now one of the elite ANBU shinobi?

Because she was _Sakura_. Their Sakura Haruno. Their cherry blossom come to life. Their former teammate who had always been there but was never as strong and skilled as them. And she had moved on, hadn't waited for them like she always did and seemed so much farther away now than ever before.

_And they had no one to blame but themselves. _

* * *

They had said their farewells five days after completing the mission. Hikaru was now able to move around, though Sakura advised in her medic tone that plenty of rest was still necessary. Michiru made a full recovery and was already beginning to make repairs to the castle and to the village, was walking around the streets and talking to the people. He honestly told them that though Getsugakure was now safe from harm, there would always be threats no matter what and that he'd do everything in his power to prevent something like this from ever happening again.

Bodies were buried. Loved ones were mourned. The gates reopened. And slowly, the Hidden Village of the Moon was slipping back into life.

"_We can't thank you enough." Michiru said. _

_Sakura stepped forward and was about to say something when she was suddenly engulfed by Hikaru's arms. Whatever words she was about to speak died on her tongue and she smiled softly, ruffling his hair. _

"_You'll come back and visit?" He asked. _

_She wouldn't make promises because she was in no position to do such a thing. "We'll see. But in the meantime, take care of yourself Hikaru… take care of your important people…" _

As the island in the shape of a crescent moon became smaller and smaller, blending into the dark, distant horizon, all four shinobi found themselves lost in their own thoughts. Currently on the ferry taking them back to Fire Country and if weather permitted, they'd arrive in Konoha late into tomorrow night when silence reigned and hardly anyone walked the streets.

As the moon illuminated shadows and created others, Kano glanced at his captain who stood several feet away from them. She had been quieter ever since waking up three days ago. She hadn't spoken much, had only issued orders and said necessary good-byes. But he could tell something stirred beneath her skin, as if threatening, begging, trying to claw its way out. Her shoulders were constantly tense and she seemed so distant, so preoccupied with something unknown to them. Though on several occasions Aki had tried to broach the subject only to be told that everything was fine and not to worry.

They knew something had happened during her confrontation with Dai Oshiro. Exactly what still remained the unwavering mystery. Would she tell them? Most likely not. Would they keep pursuing the issue? Not unless they wanted to eat bark. So they left her alone, left her to deal with whatever cards she'd been dealt under a night sky that had been rocked with explosions and riddled with death and memory.

And it pained them to do so. Sakura was their captain, their teammate, their friend and absolute important person. She beat their asses, healed their wounds, laughed with them and talked with them, kept them alive when everything seemed lost and broken and they were all but dragging themselves across the forest floor together. They had operated as one unit for so long now that it was unnerving and frustrating to see one of their own like this.

The dark haired ANBU shinobi tore his amber eyes away, clenching his fists around the shiny metal balustrade of the ferry. The jagged scar that ran the length of his right temple to just below his cheekbone was a painful reminder of how he failed one of the very first teams he'd been assigned to. What was supposed to be a quiet and simple escort mission through Grass Country turned out to be a bloody battle with missing nin. He'd been ordered to secure the client and he had, truly he had but it hadn't been good enough.

Coming from a respected family hadn't mattered at that moment. Coming from a line that produced exceptional shinobi hadn't mattered either. The razor sharp arrows had been released and he'd been too slow to stop them all. The client was impaled through the left lung, again through the leg and as his life blood spilled from his mouth, he had gurgled a pained apology for not telling them everything, for leaving out the crucial facts because all he wanted was to get back home to his wife and son.

Through the entirety of the fight for life and somewhere between defending the fallen body, Kano had felt a white hot pain tear into the side of his face, ruthless and unforgiving and a clear sign that he wasn't as good a shinobi as he first thought himself to be, far from it actually. Everything had become fuzzy after that, blinded by blood and self-preservation, he hadn't remembered much of the aftermath. Just that he had failed and their client, now laying dead on the ground at his feet, would never get to see his wife and son ever again.

_'Not every mission is a success. Not everyone makes it through unscathed. Not everyone makes it through alive. Something always happens, whether you're prepared for it or not. So don't get caught in the trappings of grief and sorrow and all the things you could've done differently to change the end. The best any good shinobi can do is to make sure it doesn't happen again.' _

Kano's very first team leader had saved him that day and spoken those words like a wise and hardened man. He'd understood more from that mission than from anything he'd ever learned at the Academy. Mission after mission, successes and failures and in-betweens and then ANBU. It had been the next and almost impossible step away but forward. Though the jagged scar always remained a reminder of his inadequacy at the time, was a driving force that pushed him to become better and protect those he cared about.

His golden eyes darted to where Sakura was only to find that she had disappeared. He then felt Aki stop beside him and lean on the balustrade.

"I feel horribly useless right now."

Releasing a sigh, Kano had to agree. "You think we're doing the right thing? Giving her space instead of poking and prodding like we usually do?"

Aki was unsure for a moment, hesitancy flickering across his blue-violet eyes that watched the indigo waves of the ocean. But he nodded all the same. "I think…well, I hope so."

His ANBU teammate nodded. "I get the feeling that this is something different. This isn't Sakura silently angry or sad. Whatever happened triggered something much deeper and more personal."

"Like bad memories?" Aki guessed.

But Kano shook his head. "Seems worse."

And as a brief interlude of silence fell upon them, what Aki said next seemed the most accurate description. "Like someone rose from the dead."

* * *

Porcelain mask lying forgotten beside her, Sakura sat on the top of the ferry looking up into the night sky, distantly admiring the way the stars shone brighter here than they did back in Konoha. And as she sat, drowning in memories, in pain, in the buildup of vengeance and the hatred she felt both for herself and for Akai, she wondered how she was supposed to forget the past and move on when it kept hounding her at every turn.

She had been impulsive and irrational, her head clouded in a fierce passion for revenge when she had fought him in Michiru's garden. His appearance had made her heart stop and her eyes see red because truly, all she wanted to do was tear out his heart and watch as he died a gruesome death. But she'd been too blinded by her fury, too overcome with the past and the emotional baggage. And she hated herself for once again falling prey to his malicious hands.

With a heart and soul so consumed with an unresolved lust to see him die, Sakura was overwhelmed, at times questioning her sanity even. She had let him get away once again. She hadn't fulfilled her promise to two of her most important people, even though they were no longer with her. Sometimes, she even felt her reality blur a little bit and sometimes, all she wanted to do was scream and cry and wish she was dead. So tormented by nightmares of her old ANBU team and of that one mission that had changed her in so many ways, she couldn't sleep at night and felt the weight of the world on her shoulders, straining and terribly heavy.

Sakura glared at the darkened skies. "You just love to make things complicated for me don't you?" She murmured spitefully. The fates had to have been laughing at her right now and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.

As a wispy cloud momentarily overshadowed the moon, a stray realization hit her and she couldn't remember the last time she had thought about him. About the boy she had foolishly given her heart to when she was young and stupid and all that mattered to her was his acknowledgement of her existence.

_Sasuke. _

"I understand now…" Her whisper was caught on the gentle breeze, carried across the ocean and far away from the low thrum of the ferry.

A few moments floated by before Kakashi, a copy of _Icha Icha_ in hand, casually joined her, quietly plopping himself beside her sitting form. They didn't speak right away. On the contrary, the copy nin just continued to read, every now and then flipping a page or two of the orange bound book until Sakura couldn't take it anymore.

"What?"

He peeked over the top of the book, eyebrow raised. "Excuse me?"

She rolled her jade eyes. "What do you want Kakashi?"

He shrugged his shoulders, eye once again drawn to the white pages. "Just thought I'd join you. Why? Is my company not good enough for you?" The copy nin asked.

Sakura sighed and decided to quit altogether. She wasn't in the mood to explain why she wanted to be left alone. She didn't want to have to explain to probably the only person she knew would understand, why she felt so on edge and bloodthirsty and incomplete, like she had lost a piece of herself somewhere along the way.

She didn't want his wise words or to acknowledge the fact that every time he came around, his presence calmed her, put her at ease with a sense of familiarity because it let her know that someone from the very beginning was still with her and hadn't faded like all the others. He didn't need to know that. But it disturbed her a little as to why he didn't need to know. It wasn't like she would be declaring undying love for him if she did tell him that just by being here with her, whether wanted or not, it made her life a little more bearable and easier to breathe.

Sakura furrowed her brows and lying down so she could watch her former sensei hidden behind the orange book, quietly studied him. His trademark slouch, which had to be bad for his posture, his silver hair in disarray, _Icha Icha Volume 75, Special Edition, _hands with neatly trimmed nails but decorated with calluses, the standard issue jounin uniform, and the mask that was always there covering a face she saw few and far between.

"See something you like?" He teased from behind his written porn.

Sakura disregarded it though, instead asking him a question. "Kakashi, why are you here?"

"You looked lonely."

She smiled and turned her gaze up to the neon stars. "Do you remember that mission to Earth Country?"

"The one with Kiba and Hinata?"

"Mmhmm. The one where we almost died."

"How could I forget?" Kakashi curiously peered from the side of the book at his former student. She seemed calmer now, less tense and more balanced but where was she going with all this?

Her voice lowered to barely a whisper. "Do you remember the promise we made to each other as we fought to stay alive?"

Kakashi closed _Icha Icha_ and stashed it in the right pocket of his vest. "Yes." And he remembered it well.

"If we die on a mission, we die together so neither one of us is alone."

"Are you planning to die on me Sakura?" Kakashi asked in all seriousness.

She smiled ruefully. "I'm not all that great with promises. But I'm a cat remember? I think I have a few lives left."

"What's really the matter Sakura? Your team's on edge if you hadn't already noticed. What really happened at the castle?"

The pink haired kunoichi remained silent but she had become guarded much to Kakashi's dismay.

"It has to do with what happened two and a half years ago doesn't it?"

"The past has a cruel way of creeping up on you." Sakura replied vaguely before standing up. She paused before leaving him though, she had been meaning to apologize to him. "Kakashi, about that night. I didn't mean to say those words to you so I'm sorry if I hurt you. I—"

He cut her off. "No harm done Sakura. We've been through too much to apologize for nightmares." He smiled reassuringly and she found that she liked it when he smiled, when his eye crinkled and made him look like a goofy old man.

"I'll…I'll tell you when I'm ready okay?" She whispered.

"Okay." Kakashi watched as she tossed a thankful smile his way before jumping down onto the lower levels of the ferry.

There was no point in trying to force what happened out of her. It'd get him nowhere and he'd end up dealing with a pissed off Sakura. He was confident though that she would come to him and tell him everything. She almost always did because he listened and that made all the difference. He liked listening to her anyway, that is whenever either of them got the chance or a small reprieve from missions was granted or they were thrown on missions together.

But Kakashi's worry for her didn't quell. Sometimes she talked of death so casually, as if by dying tomorrow it wouldn't matter much. Did she not realize that there were so many people around her that would be affected? Kano and Aki. Tsunade. Shizune. Ino and Genma and Shikamaru and Neji. Hinata and Tenten and Lee who would no doubt fall into a deep despair of youth so cruelly ended.

_And him._

He'd felt compelled to touch her, to soothe her, to let her know that he was there and would always be there. And by all rights he probably shouldn't even be thinking such things. He'd sinned enough and lost enough to know that he shouldn't form attachments and get involved. But Sakura was just too important for him to watch from afar.

And once again he was left wondering about the nature of their relationship and if either one of them would be willing to broach the subject of what they truly meant to each other and not just offer the other vague words and small sentiments.

"_If we die on a mission, we die together so neither one of us is alone." _

"_And if one of us dies and we're not together?" Kakashi pointed out, the pool of blood beneath them steadily growing larger. _

_Sakura grabbed his hand with what little strength she had left and held it to her chest. "Then we'll think of each other and then…and then maybe we won't be so alone."_

* * *

Under the cloak of night, they descended into Konoha, feet lightly touching upon tree limbs and tiled roofs as they headed towards the Hokage Tower. Kakashi had sent Pakkun ahead earlier to inform Tsunade of their late arrival and seeing the dim light emanating from the large windows of her office, knew she had received the message.

It was only moments before they were walking into her office, effectively waking her up from whatever light doze she was in.

"Hokage-sama." Sakura greeted as they all stood side by side.

Tsunade stood up and stretched, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "I take it the mission went well?"

"As well as any mission can go." Kakashi replied.

"And the cause?"

Sakura answered. "Power hungry friend and scrolls. The poison turned out to be belladonna."

The Godaime nodded. "I expect to receive all your mission reports in a timely manner. Until then, get some rest." Her gaze then lingered on the copy nin. "Kakashi, a word."

Sakura, Kano and Aki departed, all three silently glad that they didn't have to stay longer. They were bone tired and wanted nothing but to fall into their beds and sleep. And just as silently as they had entered the office, they departed, disappearing into the shadows.

After a few seconds of silence, Tsunade released a tired sigh. "Naruto and Sasuke are back in Konoha."

Of all things Kakashi was expecting, it certainly hadn't been that. He was dumbstruck for several minutes, not quite certain if he had heard her correctly. "Care to repeat that? I don't think my ears heard that right."

She ran a hand down her face in annoyance. "Your ears are working just fine Kakashi. They arrived two days ago."

He scratched the back of his head. Well damn, this was a surprise. "And why didn't you tell Sakura?"

"I didn't want her to find out from me. But she'll know soon enough. They've been hanging around all day and night waiting for the both of you."

"Hn. Have they changed?"

Tsunade shrugged. "Yes and no. Find out for yourself Hatake, they were once your genin students."

"I suppose I'll have to." Kakashi smiled. "Is that all Hokage-sama?"

She nodded and then he was gone in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

Sakura bid Aki and Kano a silent farewell and watched as they went their separate ways. She knew she at least owed them some type of explanation for her distant and odd behavior the past couple of days but she just couldn't find it within herself to tell anyone. She wasn't even sure she wanted to as it would no doubt bring about their penchant for being overprotective. In the end, it all came down to she and Akai. What use was there to involve others who weren't even a part of it from the beginning? It would just serve to complicate matters and potentially put those she cared about in danger. She wasn't willing to do that.

But she'd tell Kakashi, just like she said she would. Sakura owed him too much not to tell him anyway and because, if there was ever a person she knew would listen, it would be him. As to when, well, that was up to her and if she knew herself as well as she thought she did, it'd be the most accurate and safe time to tell him.

She glanced up at the sky from the tiled rooftop she stood upon, something she'd been doing a lot of lately, and let the late night breeze caress her body. But something cracked behind her and in a smooth, practiced flow of motion, Sakura unsheathed her ninjaken while spinning around to face the intruders on her solitude.

"Sakura-chan…"

She almost dropped her blade, but instantly gripped it tightly in her right hand. This had to be a cruel joke right? Some sort of god forsaken genjutsu someone who didn't like her had created just for her sake? A glaring reminder of another old team lost and broken, taunting her with what could've been versus what was and is?

Sakura took a small step back, her mind disbelieving and shocked, forced to reassess her surroundings and make damn sure she was actually in Konoha and not asleep and floating in her often twisted dreamscapes. But their faint and oh so familiar chakra signatures called out to her and she felt her world tip once again and dive into a black abyss. Even though they'd been gone for so long, she'd never be able to mistake the unique chakra that flowed throughout each of them.

"Sakura…"

His voice had grown a little deeper the last she heard it. Naruto's as well. No dream could be this real. No dream could send a tide of emotions this fierce and conflicting through her. First Akai and now them. People who she thought had disappeared from her life were now slowly fading back in, disrupting what little balance she had created for herself, what little control she had left.

They were real. She was real. Everything was real and raw and twisted.

Sakura re-sheathed her ninjaken with fluid grace, but inside…inside cracked a tumultuous thunderstorm. She knew that eventually this day had to come but she'd desperately hoped it wouldn't have been so soon. Her slightly trembling hand carefully removed the ANBU mask hiding her features and she faced them, uninhibited and no longer the Sakura they once knew.

"Naruto. Sasuke." Their names were foreign on her tongue. It had been a very long time since she'd spoken them.

Naruto smiled, taking a step forward with a renewed sense of hope only to frown when she took another step back. "Sakura-chan?"

She could hear the confusion and a little hurt laced within her name and she didn't miss the brief look of happiness that took over his features just moments ago. Always the hopeful Naruto and still expressive as ever. But he was older and still just as boyishly handsome. He was much taller, leaner and more muscular, broader shoulders and had slightly longer hair from what she remembered.

And Sasuke. Her stormy green eyes shifted to him. He seemed not as cold and distant as before. His stance much more open, though still a little guarded and alert with his unruly dark locks swaying in the soft breeze. Narrow hips and an equally lean and hard body like his blonde counterpart. The years had been kind to the both of them. He actually seemed approachable now.

She hadn't expected them to be the same after all these years, so was it really a surprise to discover that she too had changed? A spark of anger went off. They didn't really believe she'd wait for them did they? That she couldn't do better without them? And then a small sort of melancholy drifted around her and through her, did they really have such little faith in her?

Tension, a very thick and almost tangible tension, filled the air around them.

"It's been awhile Sakura." It was Sasuke who managed to slice through and who slowly, with small steps, lessened the gap between them.

"It has." She once again took a few steps back and shook her head. "Forgive me if I feel a little overwhelmed right now. It's not every day that two people who left me decide to walk back into my life."

Naruto pushed past Sasuke. "We know we were stupid Sakura-chan! That we should've said good-bye and talked to you! We know and we were wrong. But damn it!" He ran a rough hand through his blonde hair in frustration.

"We know that things have changed Sakura." Sasuke said, hiding his clenched fist in his pocket as he tried to sort through his own emotions and form coherent words to make her stay just a little bit longer. "We were stupid and stubborn, selfish even. But we didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's a little late for that." Sakura looked away, unable to stand looking at them any longer. "Did you know how heartbroken I was?" She quietly continued. "To find out that two of my precious people that I cared about and loved like brothers just decided to leave without letting me know anything at all. Was I not important enough? Was I too weak?"

Naruto shook his head, hating how things had turned out the way they did. "That wasn't it Sakura."

She laughed and it was bitter and sad and full of regret and lost hope. "I would've given up everything to go with the both of you. We were a team right? Team Seven, Team Kakashi…I stupidly thought we were inseparable. But like always, I was the one left behind." She clutched her porcelain mask tighter, until she swore she heard it crack.

"We never intended to make you feel weak or abandoned Sakura. At the time we believed you were better off here in Konoha than with us." Sasuke explained.

Naruto reached out to her only to stop halfway there and drop his arm in defeat. "We knew that if we told you face to face, it'd be harder to leave."

"So you two decided to leave me with a fucking note on my door?"

"It was the best way." Whispered Sasuke, his dark eyes never leaving her. She was so different now that he wondered what had happened to her.

Sakura pierced him with hard verdant eyes that once, a long time ago, had held so much love for him. Anger spiked and swirled around her. "For you it was."

"Would you have truly wanted to come with us? Would you really have been able to leave Konoha behind for however long it took? Five years Sakura, it took us find peace with ourselves, with who we were, who we are now and what we've become."

"I was never given the chance Naruto." She was clenching her gloved hands, remembering that they were on a roof and therefore couldn't release the pent up emotion by breaking ground.

"Don't you see Sakura!? We're sorry for being selfish jerks! We're sorry for leaving you all alone! We never meant to though. I just thought…I didn't want you give up everything you had here just for us. You deserved more than that." The blonde confessed, looking at his pink haired former teammate in earnest, to make her understand.

"No, you don't see Naruto!" She yelled as bit by bit her control slipped out of her grasp. "You two _were_ everything! For so long I gave the both of you my life. Missions, love, care, searching for you Sasuke, trying to bring you back home, the blood and the sweat and all the fucking tears! It was a hard and terrible blow to find out that I didn't at least deserve a goodbye before you left Konoha."

But Sasuke was through listening. Did he have to tackle her to the roof tiles just to get her to understand that they suffered now because of their past indiscretions? That they were ashamed and far past guilty for causing her unnecessary pain? Flickering behind her, he was about to engulf her in his arms, hold her and make her understand, even if she struggled against him, that they were truly sorry. But his actions ceased the moment he felt the razor sharp point of her blade dangerously close to his throat.

"Don't." Sakura warned with a deadly calm.

Naruto started forward only to be frozen in place by those jade eyes that no longer exuded the happiness or love he remembered so well. His heart plummeted at their ill-fated reunion. "Sakura-chan…"

She took a deep breath, trying to hold onto herself, trying to remember all those hard lessons ANBU burned into her mind about control and not letting emotions spill onto the surface. But it was so hard right now and she was just so _tired_ of fighting to stay ahead, to not drown in everything that had happened.

"Underneath it all, I understood the reasons why you two left Konoha and I don't hate either of you. We've been through too much for that. But things aren't the same anymore and they never will be." Sakura lowered her ninjaken and looked at them, letting a sad smile touch her lips. "We aren't who were five years ago. I know that and the both of you know that. So please don't come asking for forgiveness because I have none to give."

She took a step away from Naruto and Sasuke, silently wondering if things could've turned out differently for Team Seven, something happier maybe. Replacing her ANBU mask, she quickly dispersed in a gentle flurry of blossoms, knowing that had she lingered a second longer, she would've broken down and not known how to pick herself back up.

Sasuke suddenly tensed, looking past Naruto. "Show yourself."

"Yo."

"K-Kakashi-sensei!?" Naruto sputtered, eyes wide with surprise. "How long have you been there?"

"Just got here actually." The copy nin jumped over and gracefully landed in front of them, never once taking his eyes off the pages of _Icha Icha_ as he sat down and acted as if his former students had never left, had never vanished for five years without a word.

"What happened to her?" Sasuke asked with an edge he hadn't really intended. But damn it all to hell, he just wanted to know what had changed her so much. At one point, he hadn't even been sure whom they were dealing with. Was it the ANBU captain or was it Sakura?

"Welcome back to Konoha." He smiled, eye crinkling and betraying nothing.

"Cut the crap Kakashi-sensei." Naruto began to pace the rooftop, for once in his life at a complete loss.

"I take it the meeting with Sakura didn't go as planned?"

The Uchiha looked away. "She's different."

"And she almost cut his head off." Naruto pointed out to which the dark haired shinobi responded by sending him a death glare.

"It's to be expected." Kakashi shrugged, turning a page.

"What happened old man?" Sasuke bit out, irritated at his former sensei's way of skirting the question.

"I'm quite ageless you know. At least that's what I've been told."

"Help us out damn it! Please Kakashi-sensei." The blonde was on the verge of throttling something. He didn't like it when his important people were in pain, especially pain that he had caused.

"I'd be betraying her trust if I said anything."

"So what then? What the fuck do we do to make things better?!" Naruto shouted, emotions getting the better of him.

Kakashi closed his book and stood up, his dark eye hard and the easiness in his stance gone, replaced by a grim seriousness. "You wait…and hope she comes back to you."

**…_to be continued…_**

**A/N: I was on the verge of tearing my hair out many a time while writing this chapter. It was extremely difficult to write. ::scratches head:: I'm interested (and a little nervous actually) to know your thoughts though.**

_-hasu86_


	12. Thoughts

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Fade In**

_Chapter Twelve – Thoughts_

* * *

_"Sakura…Sakura…don't cry…"_

_"…Haha-ue…Chichi-ue…"_

Lost in dreams, lost in what once was and could no longer be, Sakura slept on, floating between and among those shimmering memories of days long past. She wasn't aware of the smooth trickle of tears that escaped the corner of her eyes, quietly landing on the soft pillow beneath her. Sakura never realized that in sleep she silently cried. Cried for all the times when she couldn't. Cried for all the times when she wouldn't allow herself, even if the pain came hard and deep and added another hit to her already wounded heart.

**…**

A roll of thunder and soon heavy, constant drops of rain were falling, drenching trees and rooftops, weaving through strands of pink hair and gliding down pale skin. Sakura absently stared at her knuckles, watching as the rain mixed with and washed away the blood, cleaned the raw and torn skin. Clenching her hands into fists, she started again on the abused wooden training post in a secluded area on the training grounds. Half of it was already gone. Bits and pieces were scattered all around her, stained with small flecks of blood.

But still she continued. Soaked completely through, she couldn't even feel the pain anymore, so far gone she already was. The harsh thumps and whooshes of flying punches echoed and entwined with the sound of rain falling all around her until the wooden post snapped in half and Sakura was hitting nothing but drops of water.

How long had she been out here? She couldn't really remember. The place she called home, but never felt like home, had become too stifling and suffocating all of a sudden. The air too thick that she found it hard to breathe. One moment she was in her empty apartment and the next she was under a gray clouded sky with weeping trees surrounding her. Maybe it had something to do with the way her life was careening off its axis once again. Maybe it had something to do with a team that was no longer a team. Maybe it had something to do with the sadistic devil disguised as a cruelly handsome man. Maybe it was everything and nothing and how uncontrollable all that was.

She brought a bloody hand to her chest and fell to her knees onto the wet grass. It was all just…_too much_. Akai. Naruto. Sasuke. It made her angry and frustrated. Sad. Torn. Dredged up memories too many to name.

She was supposed to be a callous ANBU squad captain. An assassin. A taker of lives. Emotionless because that was the only way to survive as a shinobi, the only armor that protected a ninja from getting in too deep, from getting caught in the web of guilt and self loathing. She took missions for money, to ensure the well being of her village and even brushed death's hand while doing so. She'd been tortured and scarred. Loved and been loved. And there was a time when she had hoped, had faith that everything would be okay, but even those powerful words had turned into empty shells of false comfort.

Sakura fell back onto the grass, uncaring of the rain that fell all around her. Head lolling to the side, she stared unseeingly into the trees. The world was spinning and she was falling. The past was catching up and she had nowhere to hide. When would she stop running? When would her promises be carried out? When would she find peace within her?

And before she could stop herself or maybe she had never really wanted to in the first place, she opened her mouth and shouted, screamed everything out because it had all become a ticking time bomb inside of her, threatening to blow from the inside out if she waited a second longer. She yelled herself hoarse, until her voice cracked and broke and hurt, until she couldn't breathe and was forced to suck in precious air while choking on rainwater. Sudden exhaustion overtook her body and like a limp rag doll lying forgotten, she remained unmoving, uncaring.

"You're still weak Sakura…still running away…when will you stop and face yourself…?" She whispered as she closed her jade eyes and lost herself to the rhythmic thrum of beating rain.

**…**

"…_Kakashi…lie to me and tell me everything's going to be okay." _

_He smiled. "Everything's going to be okay." _

_She reached for his hand and brought it to her chest. "You won't leave me right?" She turned painful, saddened eyes on him. _

_Kakashi leaned forward in the hospital chair and swept her unruly pink locks behind an ear, lingering a dangerous second longer as his fingertips brushed the side of her face. _

Viridian eyes snapped open as Sakura instantly went for her weapons holster normally strapped to her thigh, only to find that it wasn't there. She glanced around her, letting herself relax when she realized she was in her apartment. Strange, she didn't remember coming back. And then Sakura looked down at herself and the large button up shirt she wore. Or changing. She then noticed the fresh bandages wrapped around her torn knuckles. The only question was who.

Slipping off the comfortable couch and cast in the dim light of the room, she made her way towards the kitchen where the only sound could be heard. Within moments she was leaning against the archway that led in, watching her former sensei drop some take out into the pretty little plates she never used.

"Hungry?" He asked, throwing her a carefree smile.

Her stomach decided to growl then, soon followed by a small, embarrassed blush that dusted her pale cheeks. "I guess so."

They made their way back into the living room, Kakashi easily balancing the plates in his hands as he followed her through the dim lighting. And it wasn't long afterwards that they were sitting around the cherry wood coffee table and silently picking at the food. Sakura placed a piece of tofu in her mouth and absently chewed, occasionally glancing at Kakashi who had, like always, whipped out a volume of _Icha Icha_ and sat eating behind it.

She remembered nights when they would eat in silence, so very much like this, but something more hung in the air tonight. Usually it'd simply be companionable quietude, each enjoying the presence of the other. It kept the loneliness at bay, at a safe distance far far away from their reality. But tonight, there was a tenseness that permeated the space, a rift that was slowly getting larger and larger between them.

She assumed he was the one who changed her, but that wasn't the problem. He'd already seen her naked (it'd been an accident) before so what use was there for modesty? No, that wasn't it.

"Why?" Sakura whispered, placing her chopsticks down and looking at him or rather the book that covered his face.

"Are you making it a habit to pass out in the rain?"

She opened her mouth, closed it the next. Why couldn't he ever just answer the question? She knew he knew what she meant. "You didn't have to."

Kakashi lowered the book and snapped it shut. He'd already finished his meal, chopsticks resting on the plate as he pinned her with an unreadable gaze. "What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't help a lady out?"

"I was fine." Sakura replied, bringing her knees up to hug them tightly and no longer in the mood to eat.

"You're a horrible liar."

"And here I thought I was getting better." She commented dryly, tossing him a cursory glance before staring out the sliding glass door that led out to the balcony of her apartment.

Kakashi stretched, a few bones popped, and he settled for leaning against the couch from his position on the carpeted floor. "I'm willing to listen Sakura."

"Are you willing to wait?"

"One can only wait for so long."

She glanced at him again, this time with a tormented and indecisive look in her green eyes. Would she ever invite him into her thoughts like she used to? Kakashi didn't want her to turn out like him, but he could already see it happening. Staring at names engraved in stone, reliving a past gone horribly wrong, drowning in loneliness and too afraid to get close to others. Sakura didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve a self-induced torment, a constant painful reminder of things that in the end, were doomed to failure. She shouldn't be made to suffer the plaguing memories of hideous things and heartbreaking things that no amount of wishing could change. No, Sakura didn't deserve that, no matter what she thought.

"Sakura…"

She shuddered. She looked so small right then, bathed in moonlight, so insecure and vulnerable that it momentarily took his breath away. It'd been such a long time since he seen her like this.

"Can I come closer Kakashi?"

He didn't understand her request at first, not until she started crawling towards him. A part of him didn't think it a good idea when she grabbed his hand, the memory of her waking up from a nightmare in the bakery and shouting 'Don't touch me' not lost to him. But she moved closer still, his large hand tightly clutched in hers and resting in her lap, and leaning her head on his shoulder, allowed her body to let go.

"Can…can we stay like this for a little while?"

_Was it wise to do so, to give into the closeness and the warmth? _Kakashi responded by gently squeezing her hand. _Maybe it wasn't wise, but it was worth it. _

Human contact, even just a little, was important for her. For them. It was an affirmation of their existence…sometimes even a desperate craving. It was a way to assure themselves that they were indeed human and very much alive and not just shinobi on a mission. They too loved and lost. Hoped and dreamed, however fleeting it was.

And as Kakashi relaxed and inhaled her sweet scent, he wondered if he'd ever find the courage to tell her he loved her…had loved her for the longest of times and through the toughest of times. And he wondered if she felt the same. That somewhere in that scarred and broken heart of hers' she loved him too, but was just too deathly afraid to acknowledge it. Because once a person acknowledged it, _like he had_, it had its own form of sweet torture.

How much more could he take of having her but not really _having_ her? How much longer could he deny himself the soft feel of her skin, moments like these that were few and far between?

'_For as long as I can…_' He'd be there, but he wouldn't push her. To be honest with himself, if things went astray, he'd rather have these moments than nothing at all.

* * *

"We don't stand a chance." 

Kano tossed Aki a look that clearly told him to quit stating the obvious. The slightly older shinobi was well aware of that little fact. It'd been hounding him ever since he heard the news while walking through the crowded market streets of Konoha the day after their return from Getsugakure. And it'd been confirmed when he spotted the infamous blonde enthusiastically conversing with Inuzuka Kiba.

The Godaime had given them time off from their ANBU duties and as bent as he was on enjoying some leisure time before she decided to thrust them into another classified mission, he couldn't help that trickle of anxiety. Their captain's old teammates were back so where did it leave them?

He ignored his friend's pessimistic sigh and grumbling as they sat in a small restaurant, steaming cups of tea resting idly before them on the table. Even though it was a beautiful autumn day after yesterday's thunderstorm, neither one of them felt like sunshine and roses. They had both shucked their ANBU gear in favor of the standard shinobi pants and long sleeved shirts to keep out the chill.

Aki leaned forward suddenly. "Let's ambush them, stuff them into sacks, and throw them over the Hokage Mountain."

"You're not serious are you?" Kano raised a dark brow, disbelieving.

"Absolutely serious."

The golden-eyed ninja had the sudden urge to smack Aki upside the head. "Absolutely delusional. We may be ANBU, but they're Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke."

Aki deflated and sagged in his side of the booth. "Point well taken."

Their food arrived shortly thereafter, but their moods were still somber. Would Sakura leave them to rejoin her old team? Would she throw them aside and try to fix the broken links with her very first teammates? They knew she had once been very close to the Kyuubi container and the Sharingan user. They knew she had a penchant for drifting in the past too.

Inevitably, they had both grown attached to her. To their captain's blunt ways, her hard training sessions and her even harder punches. She was strong, in mind, body, and soul. A survivor and a brilliant medic with a soothing touch. She was a beautiful kunoichi with a tragic past that they often wished she'd let go.

For two years, they'd been with her, been her other sets of eyes and ears on countless dangerous missions. They'd all saved each other at some point in time, offered companionship in the cold darkness of a cave or under the thin branches of a tree while it snowed. They loved her in a sense that she was family, an older sister Kano never had and Aki had lost a long time ago.

"Is it selfish of us to want to keep her?" Kano asked. He no longer had an appetite.

Aki's blue violet eyes stared unseeingly at his plate of food. "You think she'll leave us?" He answered with his own question.

"Who's 'she'?"

They both jumped, startled out of their depressing thoughts by their captain who'd appeared out of nowhere.

"And you both call yourselves ANBU." Sakura rolled her eyes. She had forgone her ANBU uniform, dressing in standard jounin gear minus the vest, the outfit formfitting and comfortable.

Kano scooted down the cushioned booth seat and cast a glance at Sakura as she took her spot beside him. "Are you eating that?" She motioned towards the untouched plate.

He shook his head before leaning into the palm of his hand.

"Good cause I'm famished!" She pulled the food towards her and immediately started to dig in, stuffing her mouth till it could barely close. Bits and pieces occasionally flew from her mouth as she continued to eat.

Aki laughed. "That's a little gross Sakura. Might want to slow down before you choke."

"Shumf umph." Their pink haired captain said through her mouthful before she stole his cup of tea and quickly drank it to wash down the food.

But Kano and Aki once again fell into a desolate silence.

"You're both idiots." Sakura said quietly, pushing the now empty plate away from her. She felt a little sick now. Maybe she shouldn't have eaten so fast, but damn she'd been hungry after hardly eating anything at all yesterday.

"Yes we are." Aki breathed with a frown.

Releasing a pent up sigh, Sakura let a smile touch her lips. "Remember that mission to Grass Country? I'd been impaled by a sword, told you two to get the hell out of the compound but both of you refused to leave me?"

"You even threw a kunai at me." Kano fondly reminisced. She was always such a stubborn woman.

"Yeah." She laughed.

But Aki didn't feel like reminiscing about past missions. He didn't want to wait and see if she was going to tell them they'd be getting a new captain tomorrow. He didn't want to hear her say farewell and good luck and don't die and take care. He'd heard it all once before, almost cracked under the weight of it, who was to say he could handle it a second time?

"Captain…" Aki looked at her with pleading eyes. _Stay._

"I'm not going anywhere. Didn't I say you two couldn't get rid of me, no matter how hard you try?" Sakura shifted her gaze to the empty contents of the tea cup, circling the rim with a finger. "Yes, Naruto and Sasuke are back but that doesn't mean I'd drop the both of you for them." She tsked. "You two should know me better than that."

Relief washed over them and a small sense of guilt along with it.

"We just figured—"

"That I'd want to rehash Team Seven's very dysfunctional relationship?" Sakura shook her head, lips shaped into a rueful imitation of a smile. "There was a time when I would've given everything to do so. But it's too late and too far gone for that now. You're my _team_ so stop with the depressing crap already and be happy."

"Sorry for our foolishness Sakura. I guess we still kind of suck at controlling our emotions." Kano scratched the back of his head, a tad bit embarrassed.

"Yeah, don't we all." She murmured, reaching over and taking Kano's teacup and downing the contents of that too.

"Oh and Captain?" Aki grinned, fears finally put to rest.

"What?"

"You've got some spinach stuck in your teeth."

"And now you tell me this!?" Sakura narrowed her eyes at the sienna haired ninja and was tempted to throw the cup at his stupid laughing head until she heard Kano's deep chuckle beside her. So she smacked him on the shoulder instead since he was closer and try as she might, Sakura couldn't keep her own laughter from slipping and mingling with theirs.

* * *

Once again night had fallen and cloaked Konoha in shadow. But it was a clear night, one that allowed the stars to peek through and the crescent moon to glow a luminescent white as it sat among the small dots of neon. There was a gentle breeze in the air tonight, bringing with it a slight chill, whispering of winter that wasn't too far behind. 

It all calmed her, sent a soothing rumble of content down to the tips of her fingers and toes. Watching the stars from the very top of the Hokage Mountain always did that. It was her place of sanctuary, a space apart from ANBU and everything that title entailed.

In a span of two days, Sakura had figured a lot out…about herself and the place she was at in her life.

She'd woken up in her bed this morning with no Kakashi in sight and it had struck her that she'd been saddened by the fact. But she knew he had stayed for a little while to keep her sleeping form company by the barely there indent in the pillow beside her and his masculine scent that lingered on the sheets. Sakura didn't know how long she lay there, all she knew was that he had _stayed_. And the emotions that one thought had invoked were enough to make her heart skip a beat and plummet all at once.

He'd always been there for her. And what did she have to show for it? Hardly anything at all. Guilt had wracked her body. So often she used him as a crutch, as a shoulder to lean on when she reduced herself to a pathetic and undignified mess. And yet he never once turned away from her. It was more the other way around. She more or less used him, took her former sensei for granted and it both shamed and disgusted her for doing so.

But Sakura didn't want Kakashi caught in the tangled web of her own making. She didn't want him involved with her own troubles because undoubtedly, they'd become his and she honestly didn't want that. Oh she knew it wasn't fair to him, far from it. They'd been through thick and thin with each other. She at the very least owed him some kind of explanation for her down and out attitude after Getsugakure. And Sakura knew that her former sensei suspected something was amiss, something that didn't concern Sasuke and Naruto's surprise return.

She wouldn't delude herself and say that it didn't hurt to keep things from him though. It left a hole whenever she kept secrets from him. Years ago she'd talk him deaf, lay out all her thoughts on the table and go through each and every one. But she couldn't find it within herself to tell him about Akai and the promise she made to her two dying teammates who taught her what ANBU was all about from the inside out. Akai was something she needed to finish on her _own_. So, she couldn't allow her tongue to slip loose and let Kakashi or any one of her boys for that matter know that any day now, she would be in one hell of a fight and might not come back alive. _For real this time. _

And maybe she was hurting them by protecting them but damn it, Sakura didn't give a shit about that. It was better they not know anything regarding the matter at all, that way there'd be no interference. As long as those she loved…_Kakashi_…were safe due to their lack of knowledge, then so be it. She'd deal with the consequences of her choices later if she was still alive and breathing. She'd take the heat from all of them later if she weren't basking in hell by then. And for now, she'd ignore the regret and the pain slowly filling her chest.

Sakura saw a shooting star fly across the indigo sky and fade into the far reaches of the distant horizon.

_Make a wish Sakura…_

A barely there smile flitted along the curve of her lips as she did so, wondering if it'd ever be granted and whether or not this was just a waste of breath and thought. She moved to sit on the ground, letting her legs dangle off the edge and into the Third's hair.

And she hadn't forgotten about her near meltdown concerning the other two members of her first team. She'd said a lot of things to them that had been eating away at her and while she did feel lighter, it hadn't been enough.

Maybe a few years ago things would've been different. She probably would've had more of a heart for forgiveness, more understanding. It wasn't that she didn't care for Naruto and Sasuke, she did and still did, but it was the feeling of being left behind one too many times that hurt the most. Sasuke had hurt, but to have the _both_ of them leave her, that had hurt beyond measure. They were her brothers, her teammates, and her lifesavers. They had been there for her and she for them.

Sakura had held Sasuke as he almost died in her arms after his end it all battle with Itachi. She tended his gaping wounds, whispered threats of castration if he decided to die, not when they had just found him. And Naruto, that idiot Naruto had jumped into the fray and almost got himself killed in the final battle against the remaining members of Akatsuki. He'd very nearly let the Kyuubi take complete control in his desperate attempt to save everyone. She had been forced to land a few chakra laden punches just to get him to come back to them, crying and sobbing as she tried to knock some sense into him.

And she hadn't, and wouldn't any time soon either, forget what they too had done for her. It was because of Sasuke and Naruto that she got stronger and better. It was because of them that she woke up every morning and got the crap beat out of her by Tsunade. It was because they saw her as a crying, weak and terribly lacking girl that she felt a need to prove herself that she wasn't and that she didn't need them to save her.

For a time they had been a family that clicked in all the right places. And when that fell apart, it couldn't be fixed, no matter how each of them tried. When Sasuke and Naruto left, that had been the flame that licked the bomb and as everything exploded into a million jagged pieces. Perhaps somewhere along the way, after they had left Konoha, she had given up. It was a little while later that she realized she'd forever be a third wheel when it came to them. An outsider trying to get in. Sakura would never have the same bond with them, a bond that mirrored Naruto and Sasuke's. It certainly took time to swallow that down, but she did because she had no choice.

In the end, they were as much a part of her past as she was theirs. And what of the present? The future? They couldn't go back to what they once had. It was impossible because that bridge had long since burned. She had a new team now and she'd be damned if she was going to throw them to the side just because Naruto and Sasuke were back.

So many things were different now. So many things had happened. Feelings had changed, lives had changed and despite the plethora of emotions swirling like a dangerous cyclone inside her, she would accept more because change was inevitable. Her life was never so simple anyway. Peace was fleeting and blood was imminent. Death was at her doorstep and life the first rays of sunlight. She had nowhere to hide in the aftermath, was tired of it and looking in the mirror earlier only confirmed it. Dark circles, pale, distant eyes flecked with pain and guilt, a rat nest for hair. It was an image she didn't enjoy at all and it even scared her a little. She never looked this bad even on long and difficult missions.

Suffice to say, after spending some time with her ANBU team and taking a quiet stroll through the market packed with villagers and vendors, she'd been able to find more of herself. From there, Sakura had watched the sun sink into the horizon from atop the Hokage Mountain, something she'd taken to whenever she found the time. The pink haired kunoichi hadn't left her spot overlooking the village since.

There was one thing she needed to do though. It sang in her blood and wouldn't allow her rest until completed. Call it an itch that needed to be scratched or maybe a means to an end. But she _needed_ it, more than she could fully comprehend. So standing up and dusting herself off, she took a few steps back and bolted off the edge of the mountain. This was the quickest way to get to the bottom after all and definitely more fun.

Cold biting air swept past her as she fell the distance with a rush of adrenaline. She sent a wave at Tsunade, apologized to the Third for getting in his hair and said goodnight to the First, Second and Fourth. Before she hit the bottom, Sakura disappeared in a whirlwind of blossoms.

_No more running Sakura…_

**…_to be continued…_**

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. More of a transition chapter than anything as I felt it was necessary for her. Oh and I'd like to thank everyone once again for the overwhelming response to the last chapter. I really enjoyed reading each and every one of the reviews.**

_-hasu86_


	13. Kunai

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Fade In**

_Chapter Thirteen – Kunai_

* * *

A midnight breeze swept through her hair, made the shadowed pink locks sway to the right as it went rushing by and into the trees. She felt them approach before she ever heard their footsteps fall on dead leaves. Their chakra signatures were unmistakable, unforgettable and both immensely powerful.

Sakura fastened the buckles of her arm guards, tightened the ties on her flat black knee high boots and straightened in her ANBU uniform. The lightweight material would make movements easier and truth be told, fighting in anything else just wouldn't be the same since she was so used to the skintight gear. But she had left the porcelain mask at the apartment. It wasn't needed.

Tonight it was just Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke.

She heard them stop a few feet behind her, could sense the questions, the slight confusion. After all, she did tape a scribbled note on each of their apartment windows, telling them to meet her here on training ground three, come prepared. Pulling out her black gloves in silence, Sakura slid them on and flexed her fingers to loosen them up.

"No Sharingan. No fancy jutsus or techniques and chakra to a minimum. Just the basics. Weapons I'll leave up to you. I need a good old fashioned spar just between the three of us tonight." Sakura turned around and faced them, watched as understanding dawned on their faces and acquiescence color their eyes.

"Alright." Naruto whispered as he unzipped his orange jacket and tossed it to the ground, leaving him in a thin long sleeved white shirt and his black pants.

Sasuke pulled out two kunai, rolled his left shoulder to loosen it a little and nodded. His loose gray pants fluttered in the breeze and the navy blue shirt lightly hugged his narrow hips.

'_They must've broke some hearts during their five years of traveling…' _She suppressed a smirk as the thought was quickly dashed. Unsheathing her ninjaken from its place on her back, Sakura readied herself.

"Don't go easy on me." And with that she was off, the sharp end of her blade glinting in the light of the crescent moon.

**…**

"Tsunade-sama?"

"Training ground three is fine Shizune."

"But—"

"Would you like to get in the middle of it?"

The medic paused, thought it over, and then sighed. "Never mind."

**…**

They were steaks against the darkness, against the trees that swayed and the dead leaves that shook, fell to the shadowed ground. Sakura heard the airy hiss of several shuriken hitting the trunk of the tree she passed, narrowly missing her head. A sudden shuffle from the bush to her left and she was deftly evading a kunai strike from Sasuke. His dark eyes flashed before he came at her again.

Sakura met him head on, sword brandished in front of her and sparking against his weapon. But they both jumped away from each other when two Narutos spiraled down from above them and let loose several metal stars in both their directions. Sakura grasped two mid air and deftly, with a flick of her wrist, flung it back at him, dispelling the clone as she leaped back. A deadly whisper of air on her right and she was sent flying by Sasuke's kick to her side. Damn he was fast. She dug her fingers into the ground to keep her balance as she slid and slowly straightening, ignored the numerous throbbing aches and kept her guard up.

Dashing through the forest all three burst from the line of trees and into the clearing. And as if they'd never stopped, they engaged each other, moving with a fluidity that told of much experience, spoke with a style each their own and how natural sparring came to them.

Sakura's blade swung through the air, thrust forward with silent force towards Naruto but Sasuke intervened, his kunai sliding along the sharp edge and with a flick of his wrist, dislodged it from her grip. Naruto took the opportunity to punch the Sharingan user in the face, letting him know exactly what he thought about his interference. But the blonde didn't see Sakura's own fist whistling through the breeze until it was too late and he was hitting the ground.

Breath coming out in harsh pants, Sakura quickly parried Sasuke's kicks and punches with her own. Naruto dashed in from their right, feigned a right hook towards Sakura and instead sent a roundhouse kick at Sasuke, but the dark haired shinobi easily jumped away from the attack and dashed forward again.

The pink haired kunoichi rapidly dropped to the ground and swept the blonde's legs out from under him and using his falling body like a step ladder, pulled out the senbon hidden beneath her white ANBU vest and uncrossing her arms, let them sail through the space separating her and Sasuke. A bloom of satisfaction filled her when one grazed his cheek and another sunk into his shoulder. She didn't have time to pat herself on the back though cause a second later, she was narrowly dodging Naruto's kunai. She felt the sharp point tear through her uniform, felt his follow up blow to her chest even more as she crashed into the ground and coughed up blood.

Sakura quickly swiped the trail of red away with a brush of her gloved hand and sensing Sasuke, rapidly rolled out of the way as his foot came crashing down where she'd just been. Flipping upward, she flared her legs and delivered a spinning kick upward, catching her dark headed ex-teammate across the jaw.

Naruto jumped into the air and grinning, jerked his wrists and watched as several kunai darted at each of them, the resounding explosions rocking the clearing a second later with twin clouds of dust and earth. The blonde dropped back down and cautiously waited.

And after it all cleared, neither Sakura nor Sasuke were anywhere to be found. That is until both materialized behind him and if he wasn't so used to Sasuke doing that, he would've been eating dirt right about now. Spinning around he blocked each of their attacks, weaving from side to side and twisting as a barrage of double edged kunai sailed like quicksilver at him, exploding on impact.

But all too soon, a roaring ball of fire lit a path and spiraled towards Naruto and Sakura who'd darted past the Kyuubi container when she eyed the glint of her forgotten ninjaken just behind him. Rolling on the ground, she quickly snatched it up and just barely managed to evade the powerful flame. But she failed to notice the thin wires that Sasuke unleashed right after his fire jutsu and instantly felt them wrap around her body and tightly bind her. She winced as it cut into her skin, drawing thin lines of crimson. A shuriken silently slipped from her right arm guard and with the sharp edges in hand, she effortlessly cut through them.

Sasuke hid a smirk as he discarded what was left of the wires and waited. They all stood watching each other, panting and singed, with their blood pumping through their veins and heart pounding in their ears. And not a moment later, after a thin wispy cloud had finished passing over the crescent moon, all three disappeared and met in the middle in a flurry of soaring limbs making harsh connections and shiny steel upon shiny steel, the last of their energy swirling vibrantly around them.

Left and right her feet moved, arms came up to block and soon the breath was knocked out of her as Naruto's foot connected with her gut. Muscles strained against the pressure of Sasuke's force as he bore down on her from the left. Her arm flew forward, but he caught it, bent it at the wrist and attempted to twist it but she twirled sideways through the air, her legs spinning in a cyclone before easily landing on her feet, now free from his hold.

Sakura arched her body backward to avoid an incoming strike from the blonde before going up in a poof of white when Sasuke struck her from behind. His eyes widened as he abruptly turned around and was promptly met with the receiving end of a very real right hook. He staggered back from the pain, feeling blood dribble from the corner of his lips.

Sword extended behind her, Sakura flew at him and wasn't surprised to see him disappear before she could get to him. But then the ground combusted in front of her and she cursed when Naruto's fist none too gently impacted under her chin and sent her soaring. She righted herself in the air just as Sasuke appeared above her, kunai bearing down on her. She blocked his attack with her ninjaken, very aware that if she didn't do something quick she'd be eating dirt with Sasuke on top of her.

So she fisted the neckline of his shirt and forcefully brought him underneath her so he would take the brunt of the rapid fall. Her knee dug into his chest as they hit the ground. That was until she realized that the Sasuke beneath her was just a clone. When had he made one? She sprung away from the small crater and the blossom of dust, landing catlike on the ground before instantly spinning to a stand, only to be met with a sharp point to the small of her back and a kunai to her throat.

Sakura smirked as she stilled, chest heaving from the exertion of the spar. Emerald irises danced vibrantly as she stared into Sasuke's deeply amused eyes, her own kunai just shy of slicing clean through his jugular and her ninjaken positioned behind her and so very close to puncturing Naruto's heart.

Another breeze whispered by, sighed in her ear and laughed away.

Sakura lowered her weapons as her former teammates did the same. Sheathing her sword and finding it painful to even do that motion, she stepped away from them. She was bleeding and very bruised. Her whole body hurt like hell and the cuts from the wires were stinging like crazy. But letting her gaze fall on Naruto and Sasuke, she couldn't help the smile that surfaced. Torn and dirty, bruised and disheveled. Sure they weren't as beat up as her, but she'd got in some pretty damn good hits and blows and that was more than enough to let her know that yes, she, Haruno Sakura, had come a long way and that everything had been worth it.

Naruto threw her a lopsided grin only to grimace seconds later as the pain in his jaw bloomed to life. "Your right hooks are still as painful as ever. Good thing you said only a little chakra." He gently patted his cheek.

"Yeah…" She laughed softly. Yes, she could heal them, but knowing they were in pain she personally inflicted was doing wonders for her ego, not to mention the satisfaction bubbling within her.

"You've gotten stronger…better than before." Sasuke remarked quietly as he pocketed his many kunai.

Sakura turned to him, saw the slight lift of the corner of his mouth. "I had no choice." A wistful smile touched her lips soon after and she looked away, breathed.

It was then that Naruto decided to close the distance between them and, whether she liked it or not, pulled her into a hug. "You were never weak Sakura." And his finger lightly tapped the area over her heart. "Never in here where it mattered most."

And she really wanted to cry right then and there, could feel her throat tighten and eyes sting. She let his simple and heartfelt words drift all around her, feeling a little lighter, a little less burdened from all the memories. She had needed this, this fight that had begun with many loose ends, filled with many of her rampant emotions. This had provided her with an outlet in which to unleash the pent up past. She knew they understood, perhaps all too well, that even though she knew she was strong, even though she was an ANBU captain, her strength, her growth as a shinobi had to be affirmed by the two people who'd started the change, who'd been there and seen her meager and weak beginnings.

It wasn't acceptance she was seeking. It was understanding…just understanding. And while they could never go back, while some things could never be forgiven, maybe they could slowly move forward, leave all the ghosts and burned bridges behind, let go of all the anger, the guilt and regret that consumed the soul, made it hard and tiring to live life and breathe it.

"Thank you Sasuke…Naruto…for everything…"

A beautiful smile of gratitude. A glimpse of the Sakura they'd once known so many years ago. And it assured the both of them that while she had indeed changed, there was still some of the old Sakura left, bits and pieces here and there that hadn't faded, that were still present if not hidden underneath the ANBU exterior and behind the walls surrounding her heart.

* * *

In the depths of another compound, under the express wishes of the man who hired him, Akai impassively continued his torture as another scream tore through the air of the dark and dingy cell.

"Quiet now or your tongue will be next." He said in an overly bored tone as a razor sharp kunai traced a jagged path down his victim's dirty face, as crimson broke the surface and flowed like a small broken waterfall down and down.

The poor unfortunate shinobi promptly passed out, body going limp against the rusting metal table. His dark eyes narrowed in annoyance before he pulled away, black braid swaying behind him. The weak ones were never fun to toy with, were always much too easy to break.

He always thrived on challenges, lived for the next amusement that would catch and hold his attention. Killing and torturing were just part of the motions, a means to an end that he had no problem in executing along the way. But it was something that only temporarily satisfied him, quelled the hunger from deep inside for but a moment.

He liked to think he wasn't always such a monster, such a handsomely cruel shadow of a medic who decided to utilize his skills in unconventional ways. He also liked to think he was one of those darker products of a shinobi nation, the ones they tried to wipe off the face of the earth but failed, the rejects and the rebels and the ones that wore out their usefulness. He'd been one of those, maybe even all of them. He'd been a boy once, even been a man once. He was a torturer, a killer, hired help, a medic, poison maker. He could just as well be a gentlemen, care for the old and dying, but he derived a sick sort of pleasure from ending lives, prolonging pain until it became absolutely unbearable. And when it all came down to it, he liked to think that he encompassed what it meant to be a shinobi. That being a ninja wasn't white, but moving shades of gray against the blackest black.

Not even bothering to spare the dying body a last glance, Akai swiftly exited the cell, climbed up the stone steps and swept through a shabby wooden door and into a courtyard covered in snow. He inhaled the night air, long and deep, almost tasting the death and suffering wrought by the crazed man who'd hired him. Silly, bent on destruction, power hungry fools. They made others do the dirty work while they basked in the after glory.

Irritation hummed all around him as restlessness settled within. The wind was calling him. A change of scenery was no doubt in order. A place where the leaves were falling and the early morning would be crisp.

'_Pink…_' A sadistic smile curved the contours of his lips and he could feel the heady anticipation, watch it color his vision red.

If ever there was a woman he craved more, who brought him to the brink of obsession, it'd be his cherry blossom. With her exotic pink hair and emeralds for eyes that shone with such a deep hatred and fury, that fueled his desire for her, fanned the flame until it was a raging inferno.

She would always be the one that got away. The only one who managed to escape his clutches before he could violate her and break her down until she was only just a shell of her former self. Her defiance in the face of death, her look of utter horror and pain when he broke her beloved captain, the helpless tears and the bitter sobs, the promise of his death by her hands, they were all what captivated him, made him crave to kill her. To be able to end all that, all that she was and had become (because she had become something so much more when he saw her on that island, something so angry and beautifully tragic it made his blood rush), to able to snuff out her existence would be like reaching out and touching a tangible heaven.

"I'm on my way Pink…" He whispered to the bitter cold winds as he threw on his dark crimson cloak and easily trekked through the snow, like a slithering drop of blood on a blanket of white.

"So enjoy what little time you have left…"

…_**to be continued…**_

**A/N: Happy Holidays! **

_-hasu86_


	14. Progression

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Fade In**

_Chapter Fourteen – Progression_

* * *

"Kakashi! You careless little shit!"

Her blood soaked hands worked furiously to heal the deep wounds on his body, heedless of the crimson pool staining her knees and bathroom floor. Suppressing the urge to smack him upside the head, she instead glared angrily–worriedly–at his unconscious form. She wiped the sweat from her brow, unknowingly smearing his blood on her forehead and continued to send her healing chakra throughout his body.

**…**

He'd been awake for a while now, silently watching her hunched over form as she slept by the bedside, still smeared with his blood as if it was the most natural thing in the world. His hand came up to brush aside some of the loose strands of pink and she shifted when the rough pads of his fingers trailed down her cheek. She unconsciously grasped his hand and pulled it in, curled her own fingers around his and held it to her chest.

Kakashi hadn't been anticipating coming back from the short mission all wounded and beat up. Like always, it was supposed to be an easy one, but easy ones were hardly ever what they seemed. Never really one for hospitals unless absolutely necessary, he opted to take the few extra minutes and stop by Sakura's place.

Unfortunately, he hadn't guessed right the severity of his wounds and blacked out a few moments after he touched down on her balcony, only remembering her shadowed figure running towards him and catching him as he fell. He was hoping he hadn't stained her floors with his blood, but if he did, well, he'd find some way to make it up to her.

Glancing at his former student turned ANBU captain, Kakashi heaved a lengthy sigh. _Will you ever be mine? _His thumb brushed over her knuckles.

"Kakashi…" Sakura murmured, slowly coming out of sleep. She blinked tired eyes, stifled a yawn and stretched, hand still wrapped around her former sensei's.

And then she was upon him, straddling his waist and smacking him on the shoulder. "You stupid stupid man!"

"Oww! Still recovering!" Kakashi grasped her swinging wrist, trying to save himself more injuries and forget their rather precarious position. But he was failing rather miserably at the latter.

Sakura was still seething however though not as badly as before. "Did you know how worried I was? Damn it Kakashi, you don't just show up on my balcony bleeding to death!"

"I'm sure it wasn't that serious." He commented, cringing when he was subjected to an irritated glare. "I'm sorry Sakura. But you're the only one I trust with this beautiful body of mine."

She bit her lip to keep from smiling. "Idiot. You're lucky I was here." Anger somewhat calmed and head a little more clear, she brought her left leg over and kneeled beside him on the bed. She then proceeded to check him over, running her fingers over his skin and poking and prodding.

"Sakura?"

"Don't ever do that to me again Kakashi." She whispered and he noticed the slight tremble in her voice. He'd really scared her this time.

"I'm sorry."

She shook her head, hand lingering on a well known scar just above his hip before moving up his body. "Just be careful next time." She moved closer, bent over a little more as she checked his head for any bumps and bruises she might've missed.

And before Sakura realized what she was doing, she was whispering soft fingertips down the side of his uncovered face, leaning her forehead against his and taking in a shaky breath.

"I don't want to lose you too Kakashi."

"Sakura…" His hands were about to come up, pull her lips flush against his in a kiss very much longed for, but suddenly stopped when he saw her green eyes widen and felt her hurriedly pull away from him and stumble off the bed.

"I'll…I'll go make us something to eat." She said in a rush, avoiding his eyes and running a hand through her unruly pink hair. She turned to face him and it seemed like she was going to say something, but her eyes looked away and she closed her mouth with an audible click before leaving the bedroom through the open door.

* * *

Sakura bent her knees, put an ear to Ino's protruding belly and smiled.

"It's almost time."

She nodded and closed her eyes, listening. A kick and her smile widened.

"Come on Forehead. We've got a lot of catching up to do."

And so they sat and ate and talked at the quaint little teahouse not too far from the flower shop. Sakura told her blonde haired friend what she was allowed to about the six month mission away. The nights sleeping in caves and crevices, on tree branches and under them, she sprouted it all while occasionally sipping her tea. She told her about some of the things in Getsugakure, how beautiful it still looked with its shimmering ocean all around them.

Ino listened, nodding her head every now and then. But what she really wanted to know was sure to be sore spot for the ANBU captain.

"Sakura…"

Said woman looked out the window and sighed. "I was wondering when you were going to ask. I'm surprised you held out so long." She turned around and softly laughed.

"I wanted to kick their asses, but Genma wouldn't let me."

"You're pregnant Ino. You shouldn't be kicking anyone. You might fall over."

She snorted before her blue eyes softened. "You're okay?"

"Yeah." Sakura whispered. "But do you know what I've learned from it all?" She paused, letting a ghost of a smile curve her lips. "That our lives are too short to waste time on holding grudges against the people who've left you. We all have reasons for doing what we do. Did you know that Naruto and Sasuke did so much for me?"

"Can you hear yourself Forehead? I thought you were never going to forgive them!?"

"I haven't."

"So why aren't you making their lives hell?"

"Because I've moved on Ino. Does it really have to mean that in order for me to move on I have to forgive them?" Sakura shook her head. "If that was the case, then I'd still be a simpering, whining little idiot who couldn't do shit but run up trees and drool over boys. I can't hate them because it's partly because of them that I am who I am today. Everything that happened is all in the past. How long do you think I can keep living in it before I go insane?"

Sakura sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "I sparred with them a few nights ago and it felt really good. I needed it as my last push to leave that chapter behind. And you know, I feel a lot lighter."

"Did you at least make one of them bleed?"

Sakura laughed and nodded.

"Good."

"I think those two will always hold a special place in my heart. They were my first team, hell, they were a lot of my firsts and plus, I'm tired of being angry with them. I've got my own team to take care of now."

"And Kakashi?"

"What about him?"

Ino rolled her eyes at her friend's lame response. For such a smart person, Sakura was awfully dense sometimes. Did she not even recognize her own feelings for the silver haired man or was she just too scared to admit it and so ignored it? Ino knew Kakashi loved the pink haired kunoichi. Genma never shut up about it. And really, those two deserved some damn happiness in their lives. So what if they were former student and teacher? As shinobi who never knew when their last sunrise would be, what mattered was the here and now and if you found a love that was there, take it and run with it.

"How is the masked ninja doing by the way?"

Sakura instantly huffed. "The idiot dropped by my place yesterday, bleeding and wounded from a mission. He scared the hell out of me."

"Really?"

"Do you know what it's like to have someone close and dear to you heart, unconscious and bleeding all over you?"

Ino looked away and took a sip of her lukewarm tea. '_Yes, Sakura. More than you'll ever know and I never want to have your blood on my hands ever again.'_

The thoughts unearthed unwanted memories of two and a half years ago when she, Kakashi and Genma had found her, nothing but a bloody mess with a back hideously disfigured and barely alive in a cold dirty prison with her teammates dead. Ino had cried her eyes out and panicked before Genma had to slap her, bringing her back down from the near hysteria the scene caused.

She had used up all her chakra to close those jagged lacerations and heal the more serious wounds but even that hadn't been enough. She still didn't wake up like she was supposed to. After doing all that she possibly could, Ino had stumbled away with Sakura's blood staining her hands and jounin uniform, losing all the contents of her stomach in a nearby bush seconds later. It had been a sleepless night, one filled with high-strung tension and heartache.

"Is he okay?" She asked, willing herself out of the tragic past to focus on her friend once again.

Sakura nodded. "Sometimes I wonder what I'd do without him."

"Have you ever wondered what it'd be like to have something _more_ with him?"

"Stop it, Ino."

"Forehead, you can't be that stupid."

"It won't work."

"Why? Because you said so?" Ino snorted, shaking her head and hardly believing her ears. "Damn it Sakura, just because you're ANBU doesn't mean you can't get close to anyone."

Sakura looked away, feeling the tightness in her chest and knowing the truth of Ino's words. It was so blatantly clear in her cracked and sewed up heart. That even though she treated Kakashi as a close friend, sometimes she wished he was more. They'd been through so much together already. From her very first mission to almost dying next to one another in Earth Country, she couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when the lines began to blur. Ignoring the small flutter and the skip in the beat of her heart seemed the most logical way to go so she stepped that way and treated Kakashi as she'd always treated him.

But lately, it was getting harder and harder with each passing day to maintain the mentality of a platonic relationship with him. And Ino talking about it wasn't helping. She didn't want to think about it, about him and the feelings she _knew_ were there, tucked carefully into a small crevice so close to the bottom of her heart. And if she acknowledged it, acted on it, then it'd be _real_. Truly and inescapably_ real_ and _then_ how was she supposed to leave him in order to finish a battle she most likely wouldn't walk away from?

She wasn't young and stupid anymore though and she'd convinced herself that being alone was better than getting tangled up in the lives of others. Because then, when she made her departure, she'd have less people to say goodbye to and maybe she'd come away with a soul still intact.

"It's not so simple and clean."

"When is it ever Forehead?"

Getting tired of it all, wanting to see Sakura act on her heart and impulses like she used to instead of always overanalyzing and thinking like she did now, Ino reached over the table and gripped her chin, blue eyes hard and serious.

"Listen to me Sakura. You're a shinobi so you better live and you better love for however long you can before you wake up to a kunai at your throat and regret everything you should've done, but didn't because you were too afraid of what might happen after. Do you remember when you told me that?"

Unable to speak, Sakura unsteadily nodded her head.

"I wouldn't be with Genma if it wasn't for you." Ino let her hand fall on top of Sakura's. "We're ninja Sakura, so we have to love stronger and fight harder to keep what we have for at least one more day."

She gave her pink haired friend a watery smile. "He loves you, you know. Don't be afraid to love him back."

* * *

When Sakura was younger she always liked to think she'd end up with the man of her dreams. The ideal man. Handsome and strong and brave. A man who would fight for her and love her, cherish her as they grew old under the sky and the sun. She'd have a happy beginning and a very happy ending with many beautiful memories to hold close to her heart.

When she was younger, she thought the man of her dreams was Uchiha Sasuke. And she truly did believe it. She loved him because he was handsome and strong and fearless. She loved him because she could. But it hadn't been a happy beginning and he hadn't cherished and loved her like she thought he should because she was Haruno Sakura, the girl with the bubbly pink hair and vibrant green eyes. He hadn't loved her like she wanted him to.

When she was younger, Sakura thought she knew what she wanted but truth be told, she really didn't at all. She had been careless and stupid, bent on things too far out of her reach. Bent on things and promises that were easily broken and on people who just as easily left.

And now…now she liked to think she knew what she wanted. She liked to believe that she didn't mind coming home to an empty apartment where everything was still and quiet. She liked to think that was okay with her.

But truth be told, if Sakura was really honest with herself and stopped the lying and the self-denial, she still didn't know what she wanted at all. Aki sometimes jokingly called her an ANBU zombie. Give her a mission, tell her what to do and she'd do it and do it well. But leave her to her own devices and she'd just wander around, a cat without a home even though homes were all around her.

"Sakura!"

And speaking of her lanky, sienna haired teammate, he was currently slipping through Konoha's very busy street market, trying to catch up to her. An arm suddenly weaved through hers and she snapped her head up to discover that it was only Kano, sweet and gentle Kano with the sharp golden eyes and barely there smiles.

"You guys do that on purpose."

"Do what?" He feigned but she could see the small twinkle of mischief.

Aki reached them in a few minutes, running a hand through his reddish brown locks. "You looked out of it earlier." He remarked as they started their slow trek through the crowded streets of Konoha.

"Just thinking."

"About?" Kano softly pressed for more.

"About my pathetic love life."

Aki chuckled while his dark haired teammate hid a smile.

"Hey, it isn't that funny." Sakura rolled her eyes as Aki threw an arm around her petite shoulders in a well meaning gesture.

"Hardly Captain. It's just that, well, is there even time to have a love life?"

"We make time Aki. We have to." She murmured.

Kano glanced at his captain who was much shorter than they and couldn't help but smile a little at the picture they made. A petite yet ridiculously strong pink haired woman nestled between two much taller and larger men she called her teammates. It felt right though. This picture they made, it all felt right.

"And if you don't find what you're looking for?" Kano laughed softly then. "If your love life still remains pathetic?"

Sakura smiled, shrugging her shoulders and absently patted Kano's arm, still linked with hers. "You'll find it I think or maybe it'll just creep up on you."

"And now you're going to tell us to hold on to it, to follow our hearts and surrender to the burning fires of passion right?"

She smacked Aki on the shoulder. "Have you been reading _Icha Icha_?"

"Maybe." He looked away, hiding a grin. "I figured if the great Hatake Kakashi can read it, why can't I?"

Feeling her heart twist a little at the name, she gave up on telling Aki the negative side effects of reading smut. Releasing a reproving sigh, Sakura leaned her head on Kano's upper arm as they continued their way towards the Konoha cemetery.

"Something like that I guess. Though nowhere near as corny and lame as you put it."

"Have you found someone Captain?" Kano asked with curiosity.

She contemplated his question for a moment or two before replying. "Maybe."

**…**

Naruto turned away, his heart heavy and with a rueful smile on his lips. He glanced at Sasuke who was still looking after the trio as they disappeared behind the line of trees. He was sure the Sharingan user felt much the same way. Envious of her two new teammates whom she treated with such familiarity and closeness that it hurt to watch and regretful that it wasn't them beside her, but two new men in her life.

He wasn't going to lie and say that it didn't sting. He wasn't going to deny the gut wrenching jealousy he felt when he saw them with her, laughing and talking. He didn't think it could hurt so much. Dragging a hand down his face, Naruto sighed as Sasuke finally turned around and started back towards his apartment after a morning of training.

"It hurts ne?"

"Hn. As long as she's happy Naruto."

He smiled a little and running a hand through his disheveled locks of blonde, caught up to Sasuke.

'_Be happy Sakura…and as long as you're happy, we'll be also.' _

**…**

Her hand fluttered across the cold granite as she bent down and placed a bundle of wildflowers in front.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around lately haha-ue, chichi-ue. ANBU's got me running around so time hasn't been with me." Her fingers plucked at the thinning grass as she willed herself not to cry. It was always a battle to keep the tears at bay whenever she visited their graves.

Perhaps what hurt the most was that she never got the chance to say goodbye to them. They were taken from her a few months after her first ANBU team was killed. As merchants, they often traveled to other countries to do business. But as the fates would have it, her parents, along with others, had been attacked by a gang of rogue ninja on a foggy morning in spring. Their lives had ended on the green slopes of Grass Country, so close to Fire's border that her gut twisted whenever she thought about it. Had they been granted one more hour, they would still be alive.

And she…she had been on her first solo mission after recovering from the death of her ANBU teammates. She'd been away on an assassination when they were killed, slaughtered like animals and all their valuables taken. She had come back a few days later and was told the heartbreaking news by a grim faced Tsunade.

Sakura hadn't shed a tear then, so used was she already to see her important people leave her that crying seemed almost a waste. And she wouldn't start now because if she did, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to stop. Sakura closed her eyes and took a deep breath, drowned out the melancholy with the early afternoon air.

"I've been missing both of you a lot lately, but I'm doing okay…everything's okay…so don't worry." She touched the gray stone one last time before standing up. "I'll try to make it out alright this time."

Sakura walked over to Kano who was propped against a tree and sat down, leaning her head back against the trunk. When they had the time, they'd come here and visit those they'd lost along the way. Kano was always the first to finish as he was never really one to linger and she couldn't blame him. The graves were always a sad, constant affair but at times, she found it strangely soothing.

And Aki, he was always the last, but he always managed to come away a little lighter, with less weight on his shoulders. He stood farther towards the outskirts of the cemetery, gazing at his older sister's gravestone with a deep-rooted sadness she knew all too well. Sakura had never met her but she knew her teammate had loved—still loved—his sister dearly. Also a kunoichi and like so many shinobi, she'd died on a mission, effectively leaving him one sibling less and with a hole in his heart. On occasion he'd talk about her, about how close they were and Sakura discovered that his violet eyes would always brighten as he got caught up reminiscing about the happier days.

She sighed, long and wistful. She loved her boys like there was no tomorrow. And she wondered how much they'd resent her for leaving them, if or when it came down to it.

"Kano?"

"Hm?"

"Would you and Aki hate me if I suddenly left one day?"

He glanced down at her, a frown upon his lips. "Why would you leave?"

"Would you hate me Kano?"

Wondering why she was asking such questions, he sat beside her and shook his head. "I don't think I could ever hate you Sakura. I feel Aki would say the same."

She smiled a little and placed his much larger hand in hers. "You guys would be good to your next Captain right?"

Kano looked at her, slightly puzzled. "Sakura…"

Aki was making his way towards them when she gracefully stood and hauled him up with her.

"How about lunch on me? I've been meaning to try that new barbecue place Chouji's always talking about."

But she was already walking away with Aki before Kano could ask anything more of her. He ran a hand through his short black hair. Perhaps it was just the graves talking then.

* * *

It was a few days later that Sakura felt the autumn wind shift a little, die a little and fade. It was when she knew in her heart that she didn't really have much time left to linger, that she couldn't really afford to waste another moment, another breath on being scared and indecisive. That was something the Sakura of old would've done. So it shouldn't have come as a surprise when she found herself outside Kakashi's window in the middle of the night, the jutting ledge holding her weight. Unlocked. _Stupid man_. Her fingertips hesitantly skimmed the glass.

'_You're a shinobi…live…love for however long you can…before you regret everything you should've done but didn't…don't be afraid to love him back…' _

And sliding it open, she quietly slipped in.

* * *

…_**to be continued…**__**  
**_

**A/N: It's been a long one coming, but I'm finally satisfied with the outcome. Sorry for the wait. Again. ::smacks forehead:: Geez, I completely suck at updating.**

_-hasu86_


	15. Heart

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Fade In**

_Chapter Fifteen – Heart_

* * *

The shower turned off moments before Sakura slipped through the window. And when she touched down upon the worn hardwood floor of his living room, Kakashi was rounding the corner of the short hallway.

"Sakura?"

"You shouldn't leave your windows unlocked." She said, giving him a barely there smile in the moonlit darkness.

His bare shoulders relaxed as he placed the hidden kunai on the rickety table to his left. He could see her figure outlined in the shadows, all the soft curves and planes of her body. And her eyes…her eyes shimmered with something different tonight.

Kakashi looked away, used the small white towel around his neck to dry his still dripping hair.

"And who was the one who told me use doors like normal people?"

Her lips curved into a knowing smile and she quietly stepped forward. She unzipped her warm red vest, shrugged it off to reveal a black skin tight long sleeved shirt with similar pants and her knee high boots.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sakura quietly asked, tossing the red clothing on the dark green couch on her way over to him.

She might as well be blunt with him. There was no time to dance around the issue now, no more time to waste doing what she had always done when anything involved Kakashi. She stopped directly behind him and she could see the lean muscles in his back slightly flex, tense a little at her question or maybe it was her closeness.

"Why didn't you tell me Kakashi?" It was a soft murmur that fanned across his bare upper back. A gentle whisper followed by the pads of her fingers that had him momentarily closing his eyes.

But he turned around, caught her roaming hand in his and stared into her eyes with his own mismatched pair. "What would you have done Sakura? You didn't even know your own feelings then, what's the difference now?"

She remained silent, unable to find the right words to convey to him what she felt.

"You should go." _'Because I don't know what I'll do to you if you stay a second longer.' _

Kakashi was about to let her go, but she held on, fingers threading through his and heart pounding in her ears. She had told a former teammate what stirred in her heart once, only to wake up alone on a cold hard bench the next morning. But that had been when she was young right? When she hadn't yet known what she wanted and was governed only by her wayward emotion and her silly little heart.

So this time…this time it would be different because if Sakura was anything, she was stubborn to a fault.

"If I told you I was scared would you believe me? If I said I was just trying to protect you—_myself_—would you think I was being selfish and stupid? I don't know when the lines between us began to blur Kakashi, but when they did I was _scared_. I didn't know what to do so I treated you like I'd always treated you. I ignored everything and it worked. For a time it worked."

Sakura bowed her head as she struggled with herself to make him understand. Why was this so hard?

"We're shinobi right? We lose our important people, even sometimes ourselves. Maybe I was stupid to run away from everything, but it helped dull the ache…gave me time to figure things out.

But I'm not gonna apologize for being afraid to get close and to love you Kakashi…for being afraid to lose you. With everything that was happening—is happening—I just couldn't risk-"

"It's been awhile since I heard you talk so much."

She felt his hand smooth down her side, his warmth as he stepped even closer.

"If I told you I'd never leave you would you believe me?" He whispered, sliding his hand underneath her shirt.

And she relaxed, let herself _feel_ and _just be_ because this was all she was and all she would have.

"Will you tell me everything's going to be okay?"

"Everything's going to be okay. I promise."

And her silly, scarred, little heart believed him so when Kakashi ghosted his lips across hers she let everything go in a shuddering breath. When his tongue sensuously trailed the seam of her lips and when his hands whispered along her skin, she let _herself_ go.

"Are you sure?" He breathed.

"Yes."

"There's no going back."

"I know."

And that was all Kakashi needed as he took the kunai from earlier and gently dragged it up the back of her skin tight shirt, pulling the torn black material off of her. His hands fluttered over her body as he led her to his bedroom, touching and caressing, unable to get enough of her because now…_now he finally had her_.

Sakura threaded her hands through his silver hair, pulled at the slightly damp strands as he trailed hot butterfly kisses along her jaw, down her neck. And then they were suddenly on his bed, the scent of strictly Kakashi wrapping all around her like a hazy fog.

There were just too many years of pent up emotion between them. Too many things left unsaid for so long that it was all rushing out in an uncontrollable flood that neither wanted to stop.

She pressed into his knowing touch, a raspy moan breaking away from her parted lips. Her nails raked down his back, fingers touching and memorizing the feel of his skin, the ripple of lean muscles. She claimed his mouth in a bruising, passionate kiss, nipped his bottom lip and tasted him, wondering if she would ever get enough and why she waited so long for this.

And then his hand trailed a burning path down her middle and didn't stop until he _touched_ her, made her delirious with his soft strokes and gentle probes. It had never felt quite like this with any other. This all-consuming _need_ to have him and to _be_ with him was overwhelming. A crashing kaleidoscope of raw emotion.

"Kakashi…"

He kissed her again, breath slightly ragged as he shed his only article of clothing. It was only a breadth of a moment before she felt him—_all of him_—enter her in one smooth, beautiful motion. Sakura gasped, looked into his mismatched eyes, took in his uncovered face and the fade in of emotion that was always hidden behind the mask.

And as he thrust into her, hard and passionate, as her breathy moans left her lips and she gripped his arms till the whites of her knuckles shown, she thought to herself that no one could take this away from her. This moment in time was hers and only hers to have.

Kakashi stole another deep kiss, locked their lips as he continued to drive into her core and drown her sweet sounds that were only for him with his mouth. Her hands squeezed his shoulders and nails bit into his skin as she let the overwhelming euphoria of her release take over her mind and body, touch the very center of her soul. His name lovingly tumbled from her lips and he knew then that he'd never get tired of hearing it.

Still riding the ebbing tide of her release, Sakura arched her back, gripped the sheets and pulled when Kakashi's thrusts became harder, wilder. She could tell he was close as he slammed into her, sweaty skin against sweaty skin, breaking the rhythm, building up another inevitable crash. Heavy pants, moaning, ragged breaths and groans.

It wasn't long after when Kakashi went over the edge and took an enraptured Sakura with him in a spiral of pure heady release.

**…**

It seemed like they'd only just closed their eyes when hard banging on the door jolted them awake.

"Hatake-san! Wake up! Hatake-san!"

Sakura sat up as Kakashi tiredly pulled on the pants from earlier and a shirt, covering the lower half of his face with the attached mask. Standing up, she wrapped the sheet around her and looking up at him, noticed his raised brow.

"What?"

"You sure?"

Sakura furrowed her brows. "About?"

And then the momentary confusion cleared and all she could do was smile when she understood. "I'm not your student anymore Kakashi. But if anyone has anything negative to say, well, they can come talk to the end of my fists."

He smirked, kissed her hard because really, they were above sneaking around. If they were going to do this, it was going to be all the way.

"Hatake-san!"

"Seems pretty urgent."

Sakura quickly followed him out of the bedroom and when he opened the door, a relieved looking Konohamaru quickly dove into the message he was given.

"Hatake-san, Shiranui Genma requests you at the hospital right away. Have you seen Sakura-san by any chance? She wasn't at her apart—"

"Ino's going into labor isn't she?" She cut him off, shoving Kakashi out of the way, her jade eyes rounded in worry.

"S-Sakura-san?" Konohamaru let his jaw drop when he finally noticed her, brown eyes traveling from Kakashi to the pink haired ninja and back again.

"Konohamaru!" Sakura snapped.

He jumped, blushed and rapidly nodded his head. "Y-yes! Shiranui-san just brought her into the hospital."

Sakura immediately sprang into action, looking for all her discarded clothing. "Kakashi! Did you really have to take a kunai to my shirt!"

The copy nin gave the nervous teen a crinkle eyed smile. "Tell them we're on our way."

Konohamaru nodded dumbly before taking off. But while he zipped through the empty streets of Konoha, he couldn't help the mad grin that curved his lips. Wait until he told Moegi and Udon.

* * *

Genma held Ino's hand, taking it like a shinobi even though she was crushing his bones to tiny bits. The medics were running around, preparing for the birth as she dealt with the painful contractions. Sweat marred her brow as she tried to control her breathing.

"This is a lot more painful than I thought." She rasped, leaning her head against Genma's.

"You'll be fine."

She snorted, gasped when another contraction hit her. "Easy for you to say."

He kissed her softly. "Kakashi and Sakura should be here any minute." And then he smirked lecherously. "Konohamaru said she was at his apartment. In a bed sheet."

Ino laughed even though it hurt to do so. "That's my girl."

A big contraction hit her and she knew the baby was coming right now whether she was ready or not.

Following a medic, Sakura and Kakashi burst through the door.

"Where's Shizune?" Sakura quickly asked one of the staff.

"The baby's coming!" Ino shouted, a vein threatening to pop.

Another medic in training dashed through the doors, eyes nervous. "Shizune-san told me to tell Haruno-san to take care of the birth. She's currently trying to handle two intoxicated Sannin."

"Sakura! Get this baby out of me!"

Genma looked pleadingly at her. She tossed a glance at Kakashi, saw the outline of his mouth pull up before he headed over to his long time friend and patted him on the back.

"How's the hand holding up?"

"Shut it Hatake."

Sakura shook her head and rolled up the long sleeves of Kakashi's shirt. It'd been a while since she'd delivered a baby, but hopefully things would go smoothly. After quickly sanitizing and pulling on a pair of gloves, she hurried over to Ino and gave her a confident smile. She was fully dilated and ready.

"Alright, on your next big contraction, take a deep breath and start pushing."

**…**

At 5:03 on a crisp late autumn morning, Ino gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Shiranui Daichi. At seven pounds he had his mother's blue eyes and his father's chocolate brown hair.

"Thanks Forehead." Ino tiredly murmured as she held her son, kissed his soft brow.

"Anytime." She gave Genma a smile before slipping out of the room.

**…**

"Where'd you go?"

Kakashi held out a shopping bag. "Breakfast."

"Shower first."

"Your place or mine?"

"Yours is closer."

Kakashi took her in his shower as the water fell all around them. She whispered sweet nothings in his ear, moaned his name just how he liked it. Being with her…touching her…and he thought as they came together in the curling steam around them that this was as close to heaven as he'd ever get.

* * *

…_to be continued…_

* * *

**A/N: You really didn't expect them to just talk did you?**

_-hasu86_


	16. Teardrop

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Fade In**

_Chapter Sixteen – Teardrop_

* * *

Akai treaded softly throughout her empty home.

It had been relatively simple to enter Konoha. Suppressing his chakra flow, all he had to do was play the part of friendly, conversational traveler and the stupid foreign traders he'd happened to run across were all for helping the weary, handsome man in need of a place to stay. It'd been even simpler to find out where his pink haired obsession lived. The civilians here were much too trusting for their own good.

_Silly little Leaf_.

For one of the great nations it was awfully lax and unguarded. However, he wasn't idiotic enough to assume everything by outward appearances. He had no doubt that if any threat were to be detected, Konoha would be ready in a heartbeat. Though he supposed they didn't have much to worry about anyway, what with producing some of the greatest ninja to ever walk the shinobi world. Who would really want to attack when the odds of winning were ridiculously low?

But Konoha didn't matter to him nor would it ever. He was here for one thing and one thing alone.

His fingers grazed along the soft duvet of her bed. Her scent permeated strongest here and he found himself inhaling long and deep. There weren't any pictures, which slightly surprised him. His Pink seemed like such a loving and passionate person that he figured she'd have photos of loved ones decorating all the empty spaces of her home.

He really shouldn't be surprised though. Two, almost three years ago he'd started the decaying of her heart and soul, his dark memory feeding the silent hatred deep within her. And soon he would see just how far and deep that hatred, that anger ran.

* * *

Maybe it was the way black shivers slithered down her spine or the fact that her gut clenched and her heart raced, tumbled to a stop. But the moment Sakura stepped foot into her apartment she _knew_.

Sliding out the shuriken stashed beneath her poorly neglected bonsai, she cautiously made her way through her sunlit home, body ready to pounce and kill if need be. But as she stepped into her room, there was no sign of her intruder, just the remnants of what he'd left behind.

Sakura slowly walked over to her bed, hands clenched tightly until the whites of her knuckles shown and she was left tense and wary.

_You know where to find me Pink. _

And in her sudden flare of hot anger and hatred, as everything she had just built came crashing all around her, a hissing thwack ripped the air of her cold and detached home. Akai's note was pinned to the wall by the razor sharp edges of her shuriken and with it, the stem of a pink rose, its blush colored petals torn and scattered all over the soft carpet of her room.

**…**

Sakura stood high on her favorite spot in all of Konoha. Overlooking the Leaf Village, she let the wind whip through her loose pink hair as her sharp emerald eyes stared out into the distant, darkening horizon.

Come tomorrow morning she'd be gone.

While Konoha was her home, her village to serve and protect at the greatest cost imaginable, Sakura knew she would never find peace if she didn't face Akai. She had made a promise almost three years ago in a cold bloodstained prison and she was going to keep it no matter what. She was going to fulfill what was asked of her by her two dying teammates who had once been the world to her, who had taught her that being ANBU meant duty and sacrifice, strength of will and cold determination.

_And if she died…_

A wistful smile touched her lips.

This might be the last time she saw her beloved Leaf.

_Her important people._

Life had never been clear cut for her anyway. It hadn't turned out the way she thought it would, but then again nothing ever did. Too many things had happened to shape the woman she was today.

But Sakura liked to think she still retained a part of the old Sakura. The part that loved hard and cared hard. The part that didn't hesitate to protect the ones closest to her heart no matter the odds against her. The part that still made her feel human after ending another's life.

Sakura tilted her head skyward, breathed in deep, and felt the approach of her team. Her heart ached to tell them, but she knew she couldn't.

_Kano. Aki. Please forgive me. _

No one could know where she was going, what she was going to do and why. They'd only try to stop and restrain her. To tell her to let go because it was all in the past and there was nothing she could've done to prevent it. Nothing she could do now to change it.

But promises had been made in tears and blood. Her soul wouldn't rest until Akai was dead and in order for her to _truly_ move on she needed to finish it and close this dark chapter of her past. It was her last duty to Michi and Hideki. A last duty to herself and all that she stood for. So she'd be damned if anyone tried to stop her. Akai was a threat to her precious people and if it came down to it, Sakura would willingly die to protect them.

All she'd ask was that they understand.

**…**

Her lips lovingly brushed against his vertical scar, lightly fluttered across his closed eye where the Sharingan lay hidden in the darkness. The pads of her fingers caressed the side of his face as she tried to memorize the way he felt in this moment so close to her.

And as their bodies moved and arched, became slick with sweat and overwhelmed with a deep, white hot pleasure Sakura wrapped her arms around his shoulders and never wanted to let go.

Kakashi ran his hands through her soft pink hair, trailed patterns over her lower back.

"I'm not going anywhere." He teased huskily.

Sakura closed her bright eyes and inhaled his rainwater scent.

"I know." She whispered, feeling her heart ache even more than it already did.

**…**

She gazed at him from the ledge of his window and nodded at her clone who had quietly taken her place beside the slumbering copy nin. She wasn't sure how long she'd be able to keep up the ruse, but hopefully it would delay them long enough.

_Goodbye Kakashi._

Sakura tore her eyes away then, ignoring the hammering pain in her chest as she disappeared into the darkness of the early morning hours.

* * *

There was only one place she knew of that bloomed pink petals of the wild rose.

It was a secluded field far enough north from Konoha that they wouldn't cause a disturbance, ensuring their fight would remain uninterrupted until one or both took their last breath.

Sakura clenched her fists as she sped through the tall trees of the forest, anchoring just the perfect amount of chakra to her feet to conserve as much of her energy as possible. Hopefully, none of the ANBU on patrol would be in the vicinity but if they were, they'd do well to mind their own business and not get involved.

This was her fight and she was going to finish it one way or another.

**…**

A sardonic smile twisted his lips when he felt her rapid approach. It deepened even more when he saw her smoothly land in the grass clearing and start walking towards him. Her emerald eyes were sharp, stance wary and slightly stiff. But her breathing was even, calm.

She was such a beautiful shinobi. Such an intriguing woman that it stirred his blood and made it boil with a furious want. Long black braid swaying in the breeze, Akai silently watched her as she got closer, coal black eyes raking up and down her body clad in standard ANBU gear.

Sakura stopped ten feet away from Akai and stared him straight in the eyes. She didn't waver, wouldn't falter in the face of the bastard who'd killed her team. She was much too hateful, too vengeful for that.

"_Pink_. It's always a pleasure to see you."

She narrowed her eyes at the nick name before slipping on her black gloves and taking a deep, cleansing breath.

"I'm going to send you to hell."

His eyes seemed to glow with an eerie, almost anticipatory light. "Then know that I'll be taking you with me."

And then they were streaks across the distance before bright sparks ignited as sharp metal met sharp metal. Sakura jumped away and quickly blocked a succession of attacks from Akai with her ninjaken. She sidestepped, bent low and swung her blade outward but he back flipped away, pulling out his other kodachi.

She burst forward, pink hair flowing wildly around her as she feigned a strike to the left but quickly spinning on her heel, struck right with a harsh swing of her sword. He brought his shorter blade up to block her attack, not seeing her leg come flying around to catch him in the gut. Akai flew back with the force, skidding across the grass as he regained his balance.

He didn't have time to recoup though as Sakura appeared behind him, ready to drive her ninjaken between his shoulder blades. But he quickly dodged by swooping his body to the right and kodachi in hand, swiped it across her side. It cut through the material of her vest and grazed her skin.

She didn't feel it though, the slight sting, the trickle of blood, so far gone with the adrenaline pumping in her veins. They dashed towards each other and met in the center of the field, blades clashing once again. Akai expertly wielded his twin kodachi, raining upon the kunoichi sharp thrusts and quick jabs as she blocked and attacked.

Jumping into the air, Sakura twisted and kicked him across the jaw but he grabbed her ankle and swung her body, sending her flying through the air. She righted herself right before Akai appeared above her and slammed his chakra infused palm against her ribcage.

She exploded in a cloud of cherry blossoms as he landed on the ground. But he soon jumped out of the way as Sakura drove her sword into the place he'd just been. A dark smile turned his lips as she stood up and pulled out two kunai from her weapons pack and twirled them on her fingers before gripping them tightly in her gloved hands.

"Your dead team would be proud of you Pink."

"Not as proud as when I finally kill you." Her voice was chilling, cold and smooth just like her deadly ninjaken.

Her hands flew into a series of seals and two clones appeared on either side of her. And as Akai's eyes darkened with sadistic pleasure, all three Sakuras came streaking forward to meet him head on.

* * *

Kakashi wrapped his arms around her body, not fully registering how everything felt slightly _off_ in his sleep fogged mind. She mirrored his movements and nuzzled his neck. But then a few knocks on his door interrupted them and his eyes snapped open.

"You should probably get the door." Sakura said.

"Do I have to?"

She nodded against his chest.

More knocks came and heaving a sigh, Kakashi got out of his bed, missing the slight flicker in Sakura's appearance, indicative of the real cherry blossom starting to lose concentration in keeping her clone alive. Pulling on a pair of pants and his mask, he quickly made his way to the door of his apartment and pulled it open.

"Hatake-san."

Kakashi recognized them immediately as Sakura's ANBU team. "Kano. Aki."

They nodded and he didn't miss the way they scanned his apartment through the open doorway.

"Have you seen Sakura by any chance? Hokage-sama wants us in her office in half an hour." Aki asked hopefully.

"She's—"

There was a shuffle from the hallway before Sakura emerged wearing one of his old jounin shirts. It was then that Kakashi's eyes narrowed dangerously at the uneven, almost erratic chakra coming from her.

"_Sakura_."

"Bunshin no jutsu…" Whispered Kano as his brows furrowed in confusion.

She gave them a sad smile, her jade eyes becoming duller as time flitted by.

"I'm sorry…"

Her clone abruptly disappeared in a soft 'poof'.

"What the hell is happening?" Aki murmured, voicing what was all going through their heads.

It didn't bode well either when a sudden heavy feeling of fear and worry swept over them. It just didn't feel right nor did it make any sense.

A million things collided in Kakashi's suddenly chaotic mind as he quickly pieced together everything he could remember from the past month. And for once he couldn't control the cold dread that crossed his eyes, couldn't ignore the urgency in his heart that was slowly setting his world on fire.

* * *

Sakura flipped, sent a spinning kick towards his chest but went up in a cloud of white smoke when he unleashed a shuriken straight at her heart. Akai narrowly dodged a chakra enhanced fist but a kunai met his neck and he too disappeared in wisps of white.

The ground shook beneath the real him, opened up as debris flew all around during his escape from falling. Clouds of dust traveled every which way and suddenly kunai were flying straight towards him. Deflecting most of them, hissing through his teeth when one struck his leg, he missed it when Sakura appeared at his right. Using Shosen Jutsu she severed the muscle fibers at his side. But he spun around and released a shower of senbon hidden within the folds of his clothes.

Sakura winced when a few dug into her skin. Landing and crouching on the ground, panting heavily from the exertion, she glared at him. They were both breathing hard and bloody. But it'd be a cold day in hell when she'd lose to him.

He suddenly vanished and she felt him from all directions. And then she was flying back and colliding harshly with the ground as she heard a few ribs give way with a sickening crunch, pain blossoming all across her left side. His chakra control wasn't bad. She picked herself up, green eyes calculating his quick motion around her. Her hands completed a set of seals and—_there_—a large ball of fire shot from her mouth and Akai was abruptly swallowed in its intense heat.

But as the world around her suddenly shifted unsteadily, Sakura knew something was wrong. A quick internal check and she cursed as she detected a foreign substance streaming through her blood.

Wind whispered behind her and she quickly jumped away, gritting her teeth through the pain.

"It's my very own special blend of poison."

"You forget I'm a medic."

He smirked. "And you forget I'm one too. You can only suppress it for so long Pink."

Sakura smiled and beckoned him forward. "It'll be long enough."

And for the last time, they flew at each other and engaged one another in a fierce, bloody battle. Taking what she learned from Lee and all their training sessions, Sakura expertly executed her taijutsu until it almost felt like a deadly dance. Every part of her body moved with precision, dodging and blocking, striking hard and fast. She dropped down low, promptly ignored the way her body screamed at the abuse she was subjecting it to, and swept her feet under him only to shoot upwards and strike him under the chin. Akai flew upward and she flickered, faded in above him and pounded him back into the ground.

But she was a medic nin, an ANBU captain. She was taught by the legendary Sannin Tsunade to anticipate your opponent's every move, to dodge and be quick on your feet. And she had learned as part of ANBU to be merciless and calculating, to not give up even in the most dire of situations.

So when Akai sent another wave of poisoned hari at her, she deflected them with her kunai. When he grasped her arm, sent a shock of his dark chakra into her and broke the bone with the force of it, her fingers darted out and struck the pressure points in his right arm, effectively rendering it useless. Her fist shot out, rammed into his jaw with a satisfying crunch and flying back, he hit the ground hard.

Sakura stumbled, sent another wave of her healing chakra through her to stifle the poison's effect for just a little bit longer because that was all she needed. Her breathing was labored as she tried to heal her arm as best she could but her chakra was low. Dulling the pain was all she could manage. Her head shot up just in time to see Akai disappear from his place on the ground and she was just a little too slow to get out of the way of his chakra enhanced kodachi.

The sharp blade slid through her side as she choked out a heavy gasp, felt the blood fall from her lips. She looked into his dark eyes, could tell he was experiencing just as much pain as she was and smirked through all the pain and the blood.

"I'm going to kill you."

His own deadly smirk crossed his lips.

"I know."

Akai ripped his blade from Sakura's body as he felt his ribs crack from the force of her punch. He coughed up crimson as he skidded backwards. Sakura, not losing a moment, forcing her body to comply with her demands, came straight at him as she gathered the last of her chakra into her hand.

Using her arm guard to block his downward strike, she spun around him in a dizzying blur and pulling out her last kunai, slammed it between his shoulder blades. Akai arched at the unexpected pain and twisted around, only to be met with the stunningly vengeful image of his bloody and broken Pink.

He felt her chakra infused fingertips dig into his chest then, right above his heart and he smiled darkly, knowingly. Akai ghosted his blood stained fingers down her face as he felt his chest constrict, tighten painfully as her chakra rapidly forced its way into his body, around his heart with no way for him to counter it.

"But I told you I was going to kill you too Pink."

Sakura's vibrant eyes never left his as she crushed his beating heart the same instant he drove the cool steel of his kodachi right through her middle, a satisfied smile on his cold dying lips. She swayed back as he fell lifeless to the ground, taking with him all her vengeful hatred. Fulfilling a promise made when unwanted death had surrounded her and loneliness gripped like a vice her body and soul in the red red blood and the laughing mocking darkness.

With the last of her strength, she pulled out the sharp blade and crumpled to her knees, her once white ANBU vest now a sickening, spreading vermillion. Sakura tried to breathe, but it hurt so damn much to and as she collapsed completely out of chakra, painfully inhaled the scent of grass beneath her, she could feel the lethal poison once again thread and slither throughout her weakened system.

Her vision started to blur and she closed her eyes, felt the hot tears burn a sorrowful path across her throbbing temple.Memories flickered across her mind, faded in with striking clarity and she reached out to capture them, hold them close to her dying, bleeding heart.

Her important people.

Her precious people.

And as the teardrops fell, a part of her really didn't want to die. A part of her fought fiercely to stay alive, to keep all that she had for just one more day because truth be told, she wasn't quite ready to leave it all behind just yet.

But it was so _hard_ to keep breathing and she was losing too much blood. The world around her was fading, being consumed by his poison and she didn't know what to do to slow it down, didn't have anything left to stop it.

'_If we die…we die together so neither one of us is alone.' _

'_And if one of us dies and we're not together?' _

'_Then we'll think of each other and then…and then maybe we won't be so alone.'_

Sakura took a last, shuddering breath as everything dimmed, slowly flickered out of her life.

'_Forgive me Kakashi…'_

* * *

…_**to be continued…**_

* * *


	17. Infinity

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Fade In**

_Chapter Seventeen – Infinity_

* * *

"Sakura! Haruno Sakura you better stay with us or so help me I'll come drag you back myself!" Tsunade shouted as she furiously tried to slow the effects of the unknown poison while trying to staunch the constant blood flow.

Already the blonde Hokage had ordered a blood sample be taken and an antidote figured out as fast as humanly possible. She'd be damned if she was going to let the woman she considered the daughter she never had leave them so soon.

"Hokage-sama, her heart's failing!"

"Damn it Sakura, you better not die!"

**…**

Kakashi stared at the blood on his hands. It was Sakura's. _His_ Sakura's blood that stained his skin and clothes. He knew when they had found her in that broken field that she was already kissing death. But none of it had mattered—the fear, the panic, the anger—none of it had mattered as he picked her up and gripping her tightly in his arms, rushed back to Konoha as if the devil were at his heels. It was like what happened three years ago all over again.

_And if he lost her this time… _

He curled his hands and almost desperately wanted to kill something right now. _'Stupid, stupid Sakura.'_ Did she not understand that if he lost her it would finally be the breaking point for him? That if he lost the woman he loved—had loved for so many years now—his life would be empty and bleak and he, just a roaming shadow of his former self. She was his, finally his and…

Kakashi felt the world shrink away as worry and fear so great and stifling gnawed at the edge of his heart. And he swore to whatever Kami there were that if they dared to take her away from him, there'd be hell to pay because he was a selfish man. A jaded man who had made a promise to the one woman he couldn't live without.

_A promise that everything was going to be okay. _

**…**

"Why!? Why damn it!? Why didn't you tell us?!" Aki shouted with all he had to the bluest blue skies above him.

His violet eyes stormed, churned with the violent crash of his emotions as yet another important person to him hung on the brink of death. But what twisted his heart the most was that there wasn't a thing he could do about it.

He had sneered at being told to please just wait and be patient, that Tsunade-sama would do everything in her power to save her. And though he had complete faith in his Hokage, this was his captain they were talking about. His captain whom he held so dear to his heart that the thought of losing her—it was unfathomable because she was always so strong, so damn hard to kill and break.

Several kunai rent the air and struck the trunk of a nearby tree. It was soon followed by a few shuriken that were not his own but those of his dark haired teammate. Shoulders tense, Aki walked up to the tree, pulled out the sharp metal weapons and started all over again.

"She's dying Kano..." He whispered.

A sharp steel hiss resounded through the deafening silence when Kano's own kunai met Aki's and sent it spiraling to the ground. He approached his sienna haired ANBU teammate and gripped the front of his white vest. His eyes blazed a dark gold fire and his jaw clenched tightly, muscles flexing as he tried to reign in his frustration, his anger and worry, his irritation towards the lanky shinobi.

"You _know_ our captain Aki. She always comes back to us. She always finds a way."

"Did you see the Hokage's expression? Hatake's? Did you—"

And Kano was sorely tempted to deck his friend because he was sure he'd feel better after, if only a little. But instead he roughly let him go.

"Who are we to give up on her Aki when she's never done so for us? How can we call ourselves her team when we're already declaring her dead when she's still fighting to stay alive?"

"She should've told us what was going on. Trusted us enough to help."

Kano sighed. While he agreed with his teammate that his stubborn captain should've confided in them, she was under no obligation to. A part of him could understand why she did what she did and even though they didn't know the whole story, it didn't take a genius to figure out that her past had come back to haunt her.

"We all have our demons we have to face sooner or later. And sometimes they're meant to be dealt with alone. Sometimes we have to keep secrets from the people closest to us. You should know that being a shinobi is oftentimes a lonely path Aki."

He remained silent, knowing the truth of Kano's words. Why did his golden eyed teammate always have to make sense damn it? Why couldn't he just stay angry at their captain for so carelessly leaving them without a word?

"When she recovers I'm gonna yell her ear off and never let her out of my sight. Ever."

A fleeting smile crossed Kano's lips. "You and me both."

"And then there's Hatake Kakashi." Aki frowned. "Did you know?"

"I had a feeling."

"Friend or foe?"

"Friend. He'll make her happy."

"He's old."

"And can kick both our asses with just a look."

"Right. Friend it is." A blanket of silence descended before Aki spoke again.

"You think he'll let me borrow some of his Icha Icha books?"

Kano just rolled his eyes, tempted to throw a shuriken at him but glad the mood wasn't so somber and stifling anymore.

"She'll make it."

Aki nodded. "She will."

* * *

"_Sakura…" _

"_Wake up cherry blossom..." _

_Her eyes opened, tiredly blinked as everything came into slow focus. _

"_Are you ready to come with us?" _

_She turned over to lie on her back, stare at the endless blue above her as she tried to sort through all her emotion and all that was happening. Was she really ready to leave everything behind? _

_Hideki's soft, knowing laughter reached her ears and she was suddenly surrounded by a loving warmth that made her eyes tear up. _

"_I'm sorry." _

"_Don't be stupid Haruno. You've done more than any of us could ever ask." _

_She saw a glimpse of her captain's vibrant red hair and reached out a trembling hand. _

"_We're proud of you. Always have been." _

_And her heart clenched as she heard her mother, her father. And then the tears slipped when they both lovingly kissed her forehead._

"_Be happy Sakura. That's all we've ever wanted."_

_A hand she'd never forget fell into her line of sight and she didn't hesitate to take it, hold it close and tight as everything started to blur. _

_Wise hazel eyes smiled warmly at her. _

"_Hideki…"_

"_Live hard and love hard cherry blossom…" He flicked her brow like he always use to do when they'd all been together._

"_It's time to go back." _

**…**

"I've got a pulse Hokage-sama!"

"Stay with me Sakura!"

A flood of relief washed over Tsunade as she finally put a stop to her internal bleeding and felt the weak beat of Sakura's heart beneath her healing hands. Sweat marred her brow as she continued to work on extracting most of the poison, but whoever made it was awfully skilled. It was a good thing she was better.

"Update on the antidote!" She yelled.

"Shizune-san is halfway there Hokage-sama!"

Tsunade nodded, wiped the perspiration with the green sleeve of her shirt and quickly directed her medics to start preparing for the mending of bones and tissue. Sakura's left arm had been crushed and in order to fully heal it, it would require a great deal of chakra, control, and time. 

Tsunade clenched her jaw in irritation, a vein threatening to pop before she took a deep calming breath and exhaled in resignation.

Stubborn and fierce. Determined and intelligent. Sakura had always been one of Konoha's most talented shinobi. She had proven herself time and time again and was a force to be reckoned with. Like any ninja, growing up fast, seeing and dealing death up close and personal wasn't an option. It was a way of life. After all, nobody ever said being a shinobi was all about running on water and playing with chakra.

It was a difficult life. One that echoed with blood and loss and with a loneliness that sometimes reached the darkest parts of the soul. And for Sakura, for someone who had once been ruled by her emotions, it had been a hard concept to grasp. But she had learned, accepted it when everything in her world had been tipped upside down and she was falling with no safety net to catch her.

It was how the best of them learned of the harsh reality that came with who they were. It was why they continued living. For themselves and for those they had lost along the way.

"Don't throw away your life so readily Sakura. You've got so much to live for. So many people who love you…" A brief flash of tenderness lit up her golden brown eyes before it quickly disappeared.

And as she continued to save the life of her once innocent apprentice, Tsunade was counting the ways she would rip the pink haired kunoichi a new one for making them go through all this emotional toil.

* * *

When Sakura was five years old, her father had told her she was the world to him. The light in his life. When she reached the age of nine, her mother had held her like she was the most precious, beautiful thing to ever exist after she had come home crying because the other kids in the academy had made fun of her forehead. At twelve she had been placed on a team with two boys who were like night and day and a sensei who cared in his own roundabout way.

When she was seventeen, going on eighteen, she fought and survived a deadly group's distorted ambitions. Where red clouds floated among a sea of black. Not long after, she helped piece together the broken remnants of her team only to have it shattered the next, leading her to believe that the pieces, or maybe just her piece, had never quite fit together from the very beginning.

And when she turned twenty, she was branded by a tattoo and a porcelain mask placed over her face. It was when everything really changed. The blood on her hands. The sins and the silent screams in the dirty prisons and in the depths of her crying heart. It was when she truly felt hatred for another person, the revenge almost palpable on her tongue. It was when the very last of her innocence was torn and shredded before her very eyes.

Shortly after turning twenty one, when she could breathe again and the world was put back in motion, Sakura was appointed as an ANBU Captain, receiving a new team whom she would guide and protect at the ultimate cost. She had promised a close dying friend to take care of her next team after all.

And now, at twenty three she had made love to a man who was so much more than just her ex-sensei. She had watched the two boys like day and night walk back into her life. Heard their hearts speak out to her in apology and she was okay after, was able to walk away with a smile and a new sense of self.

And in her darkest hour, when the wind shifted and brought with it the taste of sweet revenge and a vision of death, she had kept her promise made in blood and tears, used up the last of her lives to crush a cold unfeeling heart with all that she was.

So when Haruno Sakura woke up a week later in the middle of night, she was half expecting to be in the pits of hell. Then she realized she was still very much alive, just bandaged and bruised and hurting in places she never thought could hurt so bad.

But she was _alive_.

And that's all that really mattered in these few beautiful moments of quiet infinity.

* * *

Sakura swept her unruly pink bangs out of her eyes and attempted to slowly sit up. Her midsection was bandaged as well as her left arm and her head felt a little light and woozy. But overall, she was recovering quite well despite the massive injuries and poisoning she'd sustained.

A grateful smile touched her lips. She knew of only one woman who could bring her back from the edge of death and no doubt she'd get an earful, probably much worse this time, from her Hokage. Gazing at her hands, Sakura flexed her fingers and tested her chakra.

The door quietly opened then and she turned to look at her visitor, long loose pink hair fluttering over her shoulder.

"Kakashi…"

His name fell from her lips in a hoarse whisper as her emerald eyes softened and glowed in the darkness of the room. But she wasn't sure what to expect from him and seeing his blank expression was doing nothing for her nerves.

He quietly made his way over with a paper cup held casually in his hand.

"I used the door this time." He said, sitting at the foot of the bed.

Her lips curved into a watery smile, a knowing smile that had her reaching out her hand to grasp his. He was warm and familiar. From the calluses on his fingers to the short, clean nails, Kakashi was hers and as she brought his hand to her chest, held it firmly in place, a few tears escaped. A few breaths expelled.

"I'm sorry…"

Kakashi moved ever closer, reminding her of a predator on the hunt. He didn't stop until he had her pinned to the bed, mask pulled down and looking straight into her eyes.

"I promised you everything was going to be okay and I intend to keep it. But it's a little hard if you decide to run off and get yourself killed."

"I—"

"Had your reasons. I know and I understand Sakura." He gently leaned his forehead against hers and brushed the side of her face, touched her silky pink strands of hair.

"But the next time you need to kill some evil bastard from your past, let me know ahead of time."

"Why? So you can chain me to the bed or something? Knock me out with your Sharingan?"

"Exactly."

She then smiled a true, genuine smile that finally reached her emerald eyes. The one he hadn't seen in such a long time. The one he missed and always secretly loved.

"I won't let you go so easily."

Sakura brushed her lips against his. "You'll always have me Kakashi…no matter what."

"I know."

And then he deepened her tender and barely there kiss, let her know that she would forever be his because he was selfish and lonely and loved this woman far too much to ever let her go.

**…**

The next time Sakura woke up, she almost cringed when two pairs of eyes she knew very well glared at her from across the room.

"You suck Captain."

She couldn't help the grin that curved her mouth. "At least I'm in one piece."

Aki snorted as they made their way over and took a seat on either side of her.

"I think you take five years off my life every time you end up half dead." Kano said, a slight twitch by his left eye.

"Will you guys forgive me?"

Aki shrugged. "What is there to forgive Sakura? You did what you had to do."

"And you're still alive which is all we can ask for." Kano added, threading his fingers through his short black hair and giving her a soft look, an assuring look.

"Just don't ever do that again please. I'd like to save myself the confusion and near panic attack."

Sakura laughed softly before giving her ANBU team a delicate nod. "I'll try, but we're shinobi you know. Danger and death come with the description."

"But so does living Captain. And love. Don't forget about that. Which reminds me, who has a pathetic love life now?"

A blush threatening to dust her cheeks, she threw Kakashi's paper cup at Aki who easily deflected it with an easy swipe, a teasing laugh escaping his mouth.

Kano shook his head, hiding his own smug grin. "It's nice to see you smile again Captain." He commented.

"Yeah…it feels good to. And I feel a lot lighter…happier."

"So then you won't mind telling us what the hell was going on right?" Aki asked hopefully.

Sakura smirked. "Nice try, but it'll be a story for when we're off somewhere on a mission, stuck in the snow or out in the rain and I need to stay awake so none of us get killed."

"The suspense Captain is killing me." Kano said dryly, but the sparkle of anticipation in his gold eyes told her he'd hold her to it.

"Speaking of missions, Tsunade-sama's taking me off the active duty roster for a whole damn month after she nearly pummeled me for being stupid and self-serving. I guess she's getting tired of saving my ass all the time."

"A whole month?" Incredulous violet eyes widened.

Sakura nodded, a bit miserable with the fact. "I think she's doing it just to spite me."

Kano furrowed his brows in thought. "So then…"

"Don't even tell me what I think you're gonna tell me." Aki cringed just thinking about it.

Sakura couldn't contain her laughter this time. "Neji's one of the best ANBU shinobi out there. Being under his command is a privilege."

Aki snorted, hardly convinced. "He's a slave driver!"

"Merciless." Kano stated morosely.

"Sorry boys, but Hokage's orders."

"You so owe us one Captain. Rest assured, you'll be getting annoyed the hell out of once the month is over."

She rolled her eyes at their dramatics. "Yeah, yeah. But I know he'll take good care of you two while I'm not there so stop complaining."

Their eyes softened at her words. She was always looking out for them, making sure they'd have a good fighting chance when she couldn't be there herself to haul their asses out of bad situations.

And that's why, among other things, they loved her. Why they held their beautiful, powerful captain so close to their hearts. She'd never really know how grateful, how appreciative they both were to be a part of her life. And she'd probably never quite understand how extraordinarily lucky they felt to be a part of her ANBU team either.

* * *

Her fingers traced the two names on the memorial stone a week and a half later when she was finally allowed out of the hospital without the staff fussing all over her. Sakura could now say she understood (from a non-medic point of view) why shinobi were reluctant to come to hospitals. Once they had you, it was ridiculously hard to get away.

An early winter breeze swept by, crisp and fresh in the morning sunlight, making the loose black pants and Kakashi's shirt flutter slightly around her. It'd been many months since she visited here. This place of memory. This place where written names spoke and where so many asked for redemption. For forgiveness.

'_You can't save everyone Sakura.' _

'_Then how do you know which ones to save?' _

Tsunade had smiled then. Sad and almost haunting. Told her she couldn't answer that because it was something she had to figure out herself. Sakura had finally crept closer to the answer though as she stood there, fingers lingering on those who had died, on the smooth surface of those who would come to die.

And she realized, in the midst of memory and loss that she had to save _herself_ first. Because if she didn't, then she couldn't be that miracle everyone prayed for in their most vulnerable hours. The darkness would eat her up much too quickly, consume her very soul and then she'd _really _die.

Sakura only did what she had to. Kill Akai. Rest her aching, vengeful soul. Attain some kind of salvation, some kind of forgiveness for herself. And fully grasping that no, she couldn't save everyone and that that was okay. She didn't need to blame herself for their deaths because they wouldn't want that. They already knew and accepted what it meant to be a shinobi. And that death went hand in hand with it.

She wore a content smile as she breathed in deep.

"Thank you Michi…Hideki…for always being with me."

Another sighing breeze tousled her loose pink locks and Sakura stepped away from the memorial stone, turned around when she felt a familiar presence behind her.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

Her hand grasped his, intertwined her fingers with his, and blindly followed Kakashi as he pulled her along down the gravel path. And she smiled when Konoha came into view from behind the trees, when her life faded in all around her and whispered in her ears, let her know that everything would indeed, be okay.

* * *

_**...end…**_

* * *

**:Final A/N:**

Sasuke and Naruto were never really meant to be a big part of this story. But their roles were critical to the development of Sakura's character throughout, as you all read. I had contemplated putting them in this final chapter but when I looked over the whole story and where we saw them last, I felt it a fitting exit for both of them. So, I threw out the idea all together. Apologies to those who wished to see more of them.

I'm glad the reception of my OCs was favorable. I know not many like original characters so I thank you all for giving Kano, Aki, and Akai a chance.

Speaking of Akai, he is dead. Use your imagination as to how they disposed of the body.

And no, there won't be a sequel to this. I like it how it is.

And finally, a heartfelt thank you to those special few who've stuck with me since the very beginning of FI. I'd list you all but I fear that I might forget one of you. Know that your committed reviews really fueled me to complete this.

To those I've managed to pick up along the way, you have my sincere appreciation for taking the time to read FI and to leave me such wonderful reviews. Thank you for giving this a chance. For giving me motivation.

And to the lurkers who I know are out there, thank you for simply reading. I'm not an author who writes for the purpose of just getting reviews, thereby feeding and stroking my ego (though admittedly like any good author would say, reviews are nice).

I write for the sake of writing.

I hope you all loved Fade In as much as I loved writing it.

_-hasu86_


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